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From  International  P.ible.  ^ 


THE  FOOTSTEPS  SERIES 


IN  HIS  FOOTSTEPS 


A    RECORD    OF  TRAVEL    TO    AND   IN    THE    LAND    OF    CHRIST 

WITH    AN     ATTEMPT     TO     MARK     THE     LORD's 

JOURNEYINGS    IN    CHRONOLOGICAL 

ORDER    FROM     HIS     BIRTH 

TO   HIS  ASCENSION 


/ 

By  WILLIAM  E.  ^McLENNAN 


NEW  YORK  :  EATON  &  MAINS 

CINCINNATI:  CURTS  &  JENNINGS 

1890 


Copyright  by 

EATON  &  MAINS, 

1896. 


Composition,  electrotyping, 

printing,  and  binding  by 

Eaton  &  Mains, 

ISO  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 
iNTROni'CTORY    NOTE 7 


Prepack. 


9 


CHAPTER  I. 
Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem i7 

CHAPTER  II. 
From  the  Birth  of  Chrisi'  to  the  Beginning  of  His  Minis- 
try, B.  C.  5-A.  D.  27 3- 

CHAPTER  III. 
First  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  December,  A.  U.  27 47 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Second  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  December,  A.  D.  2S 61 

CHAPTER  V. 
Third  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  December,  A.  D.  29 71 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Fourth  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  Ai'Ril  2,  A.  D.  30 85 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Passion  Week 92 

CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Forty   Days,    From  the   Resurrection   to  the  Ascen- 
sion, A.  D.  30 105 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


TAGE 

The   Rock    in    the  Mosque    of   Omar, 

Jerusalem frontispiece 

Map:  Xew  York  to  Bethlehem i6 

S.    S.    Lahn,    of    the    North  German 

Lloyd  Line i8 

Gibraltar 20 

Jaflfa,  from  the  North 22 

A  Jerusalem  Jew 25 

An  Arab 26 

Highway,  with  Cactus  Hedge 27 

An  Oriental  Street 28 

Bethlehem,    From    tl.e    \'alley   of   the 

Shepherds 29 

Map 30 

Betlilehem,     Showing  Church   of    tlie 

Nativity 32 

The  Chapel  of  the  Nativity     33 

Jerusalem— The  Mosque  of  Omar 35 

In  the  Land  of  Egypt,  Raising  Water 

from  the  Nile  for  Irrigation 37 

Tent  Life  in  Palestine 38 

Nazareth 3g 

Galilean   Caravan  Approaching   Jeru- 
salem   41 

Jesus  and  the  Doctors     42 

Interior  of  a  Peasant's  House 44 

l^'^P 46 

The  Jordan,  Where  John  Baptized. . . .  48 

Tlie  Wilderness  of  Judea 49 

Ruins  of  Capernaum 52 

Herod's  Temple 53 


PAGE 

Jacob's  Well 55 

Eastern  House,  Showing  Flat  Rouf  and 

Courtyard gg 

M;'P 60 

The  Horns  of  Hattin 63 

Funeral  Scene  in  Pale  tine 65 

Tombs  on  the  Road  ;o  .\  ain 66 

The  Sea  of  Galilee 67 

Map 70 

Modern  Tyre 74 

A  Blind  Beggar 77 

The  Waters  of  Merom 78 

Caesarea  Pliilippi yg 

A  Little  Child  of  Palestine 80 

Bethany 82 

Map 84 

"  The  Bloody  Way  " 86 

Woman  with  Headdress  of  Coins 87 

Lepers  Begging  by  the  Wayside 8g 

Plan  of  Herod's  Temple 91 

Bethany,  Olivet,  and  Jerusalem 93 

Map 96 

The  Garden  of  Gethsemane 100 

Map 104 

Rock      Tomb      with      Rolling     Stone 

Door 106 

The  Church   of   the    Hdy   Sepulcher, 

Jerusalem 107 

Pilgrim    in  the    Chiirch   of    the    Holy 

Sepulcher 108 

The  Mount  of  Olives no 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE. 


THE  following  pages  contain  the  details  of  a  plan  by  which  it  is 
easily  possible  to  interest  every  boy  and  girl  in  the  study  of 
history,  travel,  and  biography.  I  was  present  at  the  breakfast  party 
alluded  to  by  the  author,  and  heard  the  remark  of  Bishop  Vincent, 
It  impressed  me  likewise,  and  became  the  subject  of  conversation 
afterward.  Out  of  it  came  the  method  of  work  herein  set  forth-- 
workable  and  remarkable,  as  proved  by  my  own  experience. 

But,  so  far  as  success  in  winning  attention  to  the  life  and  character 
of  Jesus  is  concerned,  Mr.  McLennan  must  bear  the  palm.  He  has 
held,  for  two  successive  years  to  my  personal  knowledge,  thirty-five 
Juniors,  boys  and  girls  in  about  equal  numbers,  from  the  ages  of 
twelve  to  sixteen,  in  this  study.  They  have  met  once  a  week  from 
seven  to  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  with  an  average  attendance  of 
twenty-five.  Most  of  them  have  become  regular  attendants  at 
church  services,  and  for  knowledge  of  the  sequence  of  events  in  the 
life  of  our  Lord,  and  the  geography  of  Palestine,  they  will,  on  exami- 
nation, rank  higher  than  an  equal  number  of  members  in  an  Annual 
Conference. 

Sunday  school  teachers  with  scholars  of  this  age,  as  well  as  Junior 
superintendents,  should  work  this  plan.  Get  the  pictures  and  mount 
them  as  directed.  Equip  yourselves  in  fancy  for  the  journey  and 
travel  with  the  boys  and  girls  in  the 

"holy  fields 
Over  whose  acres  walked  those  blessed  feet 
Which  eighteen  hundred  years  ago  were  nailed 
For  our  advantage  on  the  bitter  cross." 

No  work  will  so  kindle  your  own  interest,  nor  more  richly  reward 
your  efforts  as  a  soul-winner.  This  book  and  the  work  connected 
with  it  may  well  constitute  a  whole  year  in  the  course  of  study  for 
Epworth  League  Juniors.  Edwin  A.  Schell. 


Mrs.  Humphry  Ward  quotes  Professor  Jowett  as  saying  to  her: 
"  We  shall  come  in  future  to  teach  almost  entirely  by  biography.' 
We  shall  begin  with  the  life  which  is  most  familiar  to  us— the  life  of 
Christ ;  and  we  shall  more  and  more  put  before  our  children  the 
examples  of  great  persons'  lives,  so  that  they  shall  have  from  the 
beginning  heroes  and  friends  in  their  thoughts." 

"  All  that  history  which  at  a  distance  seemed  to  float  in  the  clouds 
of  an  unreal  world  took  instantly. a  body,  a  solidity  which  astonished 
me.  The  striking  accord  between  the  texts  and  the  places,  the  mar- 
velous harmony  of  the  evangelical  picture  with  the  country  which 
served  as  its  frame,  were  to  me  as  a  revelation.  I  had  before  me  a 
hfth  gospel,  mutilated  but  still  legible."— J/.  Renan. 


PREFACE. 


A  FEW  years  ago,  just  after  the  writer  had  entered  the  min- 
istry, it  was  his  privilege  to  be  entertained  with  others  at  a 
well-known  Methodibt  home  whose  guest  of  honor  was 
Bishop  Vincent.  With  that  delightful  tact  for  which  he  is  fa- 
mous the  bishop  had  won  from  the  young  theologues  present  a 
confession  of  the  perplexities  and  trials  peculiar  to  their  minis- 
terial life.  My  own  problem  had  reference  to  the  training  of 
boys  and  girls,  especially  along  intellectual  lines.  I  have  never 
forgotten  the  bishop's  words  on  that  occasion:  "A  boy  or 
girl  who  has  once  become  interested  in  travels  will  never  be 
satisfied  with  worthless  books."  The  bishop's  long  experience, 
as  perhaps  the  most  popular  educator  in  the  country,  gave  to 
his  words  peculiar  emphasis.  I  began  at  once  to  act  upon 
his  suggestion  with  the  most  gratifying  results.  I  found,  how- 
ever, that  travels  alone  did  not  quite  fulfill  all  the  conditions  for 
an  ideal  plan  such  as  I  had  conceived.  There  was  needed 
something  for  which  travel  is  but  a  means  to  an  end.  Mere 
sightseeing  soon  becomes  tiresome,  and  when  undertaken  for 
its  own  sake  seems  rather  selfish.  My  plan  seemed  complete 
when  I  united  with  travels  biography.  Besides  being  deej^ly 
interesting,  I  had  long  believed  biography  to  be  one  of  the 
noblest  means  of  inspiration  for  the  young  ;  that,  indeed,  as 
Carlyle  has  put  it,  "  The  history  of  what  man  has  accomplished 
is  at  bottom  the  history  of  the  great  men  who  have  worked 
here."  At  that  time  I  would  scarcely  have  dared  to  say  what 
the  late  Professor  Jowett  is  reported  to  have  said  to  Mrs. 
Humphrey  Ward,  that  "We  shall  come  in  future  to  teach 
almost  entirely  by  biography." 

But  biography,  to  be  interesting — and  boys  and  girls  will  not 
read  what  is  not  interesting — must  be  something  more  than  a 
dreary  detail  of  names,  dates,  and  ages.  Genealogy  is  not 
biography.  The  main,  I  may  say  the  whole,  attraction  of  any 
character  to  a  boy  or  girl,  especially  to  the  boy,  lies  in  the  con- 

9 


Preface. 

tinuous  movement  of  events  and  the  rapid  transfer  of  scene. 
What  boy  does  not  love  to  hear  of  steamboats,  railroads,  and 
the  various  means  of  transportation  ;  of  strange  people  and 
their  customs  ;  of  plots  and  counterplots  ;  of  defeats  and  vic- 
tories ?  When  to  the  narrative  can  be  added  such  details  that 
one  seems  to  be  actually  realizmg  the  scenes  of  the  original 
life,  there  is  nothing  wanting  to  combine  interest  and  profit. 
This  is  not  theory  but  experience.  A  year  or  more  before  the 
opening  of  the  Columbian  Exposition  I  took  a  class  of  older 
young  people,  representing  various  degrees  of  intelligence, 
through  a  course  of  reading  and  investigation,  beginning  with 
Columbus,  marking  his  footsteps  from  Italy  to  Spain,  follow- 
ing in  his  wake  to  America  and,  finally,  to  the  city  of  Valla- 
dolid,  where  he  breathed  his  last.  Then,  with  an  introduction 
on  prehistoric  America,  the  steps  of  the  colonists  in  America 
were  traced,  and,  by  the  movements  of  their  descendants,  the 
entire  history  of  our  country  was  brought  down  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  great  Exposition.  Each  step  of  the  way  was  illus- 
trated by  means  of  the  stereopticon.  A  similar  plan  was,  with 
equal  success,  pursued  with  a  large  class  of  boys  and  girls. 
An  imaginary  trip  to  Palestine  was  proposed  and  followed  out 
with  the  most  careful  attention  to  the  details  of  choice  of 
routes,  time-tables,  baggage,  etc.  On  reaching  Palestine  our 
aim  was  actually  to  realize,  as  far  as  possible,  the  very  scenes 
connected  with  the  life  of  Jesus  from  his  birth  to  his  cruci- 
fixion and  ascension.  In  this  the  stereopticon  was  a  most  val- 
uable aid,  but,  unfortunately,  slides  could  not  be  procured  of 
the  most  important  places  except  at  very  great  expense.  That 
led  to  an  experiment  with  prints.  I  searched  the  offices  of 
Thomas  Cook  &  Son,  Gaze  tS;  Son,  and  other  international 
tourist  agencies,  for  illustrations  of  the  route  and  the  country. 
Some  of  tliese  I  mounted  on  cardboard  and  passed  around  the 
class  for  examination  while  I  talked.  Finally  came  the  "half- 
tone "  reproductions  with  which  the  daily  newspapers  have 
flooded  the  country.  Many  of  these  are  on  Palestine,  the  best 
of  them  being  a  series  of  splendid  views  on  "  The  Land  of 
Christ,"  and  that  maf^num  opus  edited  by  Bishop  Vincent  and 
Dr.  J.  W.  Lee,  T/ie  Earthly  Footsteps  of  the  Man  of  Galilee. 
AVith  these  views  almost  every  footstep  of  our  Lord  can  be 
illustrated  at  trifling  cost. 

The  present  work  is  an  illustration  of  a  method,  such  as  is 
described  in  the  foregoing  paragraphs.     It  is  suggestive,  not 

ID 


Preface. 

exhaustive.  It  does  not  profess  to  be  critical,  as  that  term  is 
understood  by  scholars.  Neither  does  it  discuss,  but  only 
states,  questions  with  reference  to  chronology,  topography, 
etc.  It  is  not  a  commentary,  in  the  awful  sense  of  being  hom- 
iletic.  It  seeks  only  to  help  the  teacher  to  make  real  for 
young  people  the  Christ  of  history. 

It  is  prepared,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  General  Secretary 
of  the  Epworth  League,  the  Rev.  Edwin  A.  Schell,  D.D.,  for 
the  special  use  of  Junior  League  Superintendents,  but  it  is 
adapted  as  well  for  Sunday  school  teachers  and  others  who 
are  weary  of  the  haecfabuhi  docct  method  of  teaching,  and  prefer 
to  lead  their  scholars  to  realize  the  majesty  of  a  great  life.  Dr. 
Schell  informs  me  that  similar  outlines  for  St.  Paul,  Wesley, 
and  others,  will  follow,  constituting  "The  Footstep  Series." 

The  series  begins  with  the  life  of  our  Lord,  on  the  princi- 
ple that  all  instruction  should  begin  and  end  with  that  "  Name 
which  is  above  every  name."  Besides,  there  is  no  character 
that  suits  our  method  better.  He  is  referred  to  in  the  Acts  as 
"Jesus  of  Nazareth,  .  .  .  \\\\o  went  about  diO\x\g  ^ooA^  His 
life  was  full  of  action.  He  came,  bestowed  his  blessing,  and 
was  off  to  some  other  place  where  there  were  needy  ones 
awaiting  him.  His  journeys  took  him  into  all  sorts  of  places, 
so  there  is  a  constant  change  of  scene.  We  have  the  busy 
mart,  the  temple,  the  house,  the  street,  the  wayside,  the  sea, 
the  mountain,  and  the  plain  following  each  other  in  rapid 
succession.  So  as  we  follow  in  his  footsteps  this  variety 
cannot  fail  to  attract  and  hold  all  young  minds  and  hearts. 

It  is  the  living  Christ  we  are  to  follow.  It  is  not  necessary, 
nor  even  desirable,  that  young  people  should  be  taught  all  that 
they  are  supposed  to  believe  about  Jesus.  Rather  let  them  be 
open  to  receive  impressions  in  their  own  way.  As  they  walk 
in  his  footsteps  from  week  to  week  the  Lord  Christ  will  appear 
and  reveal  his  own  message.  And  in  the  years  to  come  the 
boys  and  girls  who  shall  have  marked  the  footsteps  of  the  Lord 
will  in  manhood  and  womanhood  recall  how  their  hearts  burned 
within  them  as  they  walked  and  talked  with  the  living  Christ, 
and  such  memories  Avill,  let  us  be  assured,  be  the  strongest  ties 
to  bind  them  to  the  unseen  and  eternal. 

A    WORD    TO    THE    TEACHER. 

As  already  suggested,  our  plan  is  to  take  an  imaginary 
trip  to  Palestine,  and  to  follow,  as  far  as  we  are  able,  the  foot- 

II 


Preface. 

steps  of  Jesus  from  his  birth  in  Bethlehem  to  his  ascension. 
Everything  available  for  making  this  imaginary  journey 
as  realistic  as  possible  should  be  secured.  Get  a  good  map 
of  the  world,  and,  after  locating  .your  own  town,  find  out  by 
proper  questioning  the  best  way  to  get  to  Palestine.  Talk 
over  all  the  available  routes,  finally  selecting  one  which  seems 
to  combine  the  most  advantages.  You  will,  doubtless,  decide 
to  sail  from  New  York,  though  there  are  other  ports  from 
which  you  might  take  passage.  By  correspondence  with 
Messrs.  Thomas  Cook  &  Son,  or  Gaze  Sz  Son,  New  York  and 
Chicago,  you  will  learn  all  particulars  regarding  dates  of  sail- 
ing, etc.  Discuss  routes  and  steamboat  lines.  The  largest  boats 
run  between  New  York  and  Liverpool,  or  Southampton. 
There  are  other  excellent  lines  between  New  York  and  Glas- 
gow, or  Havre.  If  you  should  decide  on  one  of  these  it  will 
be  necessary,  of  course,  to  cross  the  Continent  by  rail.  For 
many  reasons  I  prefer  the  route  7'ia  Gibraltar  and  the  Medi- 
terranean. The  North  German  Lloyd  line  of  steamers  would 
be  chosen  for  this  trip.  Whatever  route  is  selected  give  a 
description  of  leaving  port,  then  of  your  vessel.  It  will  not 
be  difficult  to  obtain  cuts  of  the  interior,  the  cabin,  saloon, 
engine  room,  etc.  Tell  how  the  boat  is  propelled  or,  better, 
have  one  of  the  boys  describe  the  machinery  of  a  steamer. 
Give  a  list  of  the  officers,  and  name  the  duties  of  each.  Life 
on  board  a  great  steamer  will  be  interesting  ;  how  the  pas- 
sengers sleep,  what  they  eat,  how  they  amuse  themselves,  etc. 
All  such  details  will  make  a  deep  impression,  especially  on 
boys.  They  will  begin  to  read  about  steamboats  and  kin- 
dred subjects,  and  as  they  read  their  interest  in  the  amours 
and  adventures  of  disreputable  characters  will  grow  less  and 
less.  On  the  itinerary  you  will  observe  the  different  points 
where  your  steamer  stops.  Have  views  ready  of  Gibraltar 
and  the  other  ports,  but  do  not  give  very  much  time  to  tliese 
l)laces.  Literest  should  be  gradually  increased  in  the  country 
to  which  we  are  journeying. 

There  are  many  books  of  travel.  Dr.  Buckley's  Travels  in 
Three  Continents  is,  in  many  respects,  one  of  the  very  best. 
It  is  written  in  that  delightful  style  for  which  the  author 
is  famous,  is  up  to  date,  and,  above  all,  accurate.  Of 
books  relating  to  Palestine  there  are  a  very  large  number. 
The  Land  and  the  Book,  by  W.  M.  Thomson,  is  exceedingly 
valuable,  but  rather  expensive.     Edersheim's  Life  and  Times 

12 


Preface. 

of  Jesus  the  Messiah  is  a  veritable  theasury  of  valuable 
data  bearing  on  the  thoughts  and  customs  of  the  Jewish 
people  in  the  time  of  Christ.  Sinai  and  Palestine,  by  Dean 
Stanley,  is  brilliant,  but  needs  revision.  The  latest  work  on 
biblical  geography  is  George  Adam  Smith's  The  Biblical 
Geography  of  the  Holy  Land.  A  very  valuable  little  work, 
and  one  that  embodies  the  latest  discoveries,  is  Palestine:  Its 
Historical  Geography,  by  Rev.  Archibald  Henderson,  D.D., 
published  by  T.  and  T.  Clark,  Edinburgh.  Geikie's  A^ew 
Testament  Hours  is  a  late  publication,  and  describes  in  the 
author's  fascinating  style  many  of  the  present  customs  of  the 
country.  Whitney's  Handbook  of  Bible  Geography  is  a  cheap 
and  valuable  work;  as  is  aho  Hudhut's  A/anual  of  Biblical 
Geography.  Of  lives  of  Christ,  the  very  best  for  those 
who  want  facts  rather  than  rhetoric  is  Andrews's  Life  of 
Our  Lord.  Other  inexpensive  works  are  Farrar's,  Geikie's, 
and  Stalker's.  One  should  have  a  good  Bible  Dictionary, 
like  Smith's.  A  book  I  would  not  be  without  is  Baedek- 
er's Palestine  and  Syria.  It  is  the  best  guide  book  of  the 
country,  and  is  the  inspiration,  if  not  the  foundation,  for 
most  of  the  books  of  travel  on  Palestine.  The  only  objec- 
tion to  it  is  its  high  price.  All  these  books  can  be  se- 
cured through  Eaton  &  Mains,  New  York,  Boston,  Pittsburg, 
Detroit,  and  San  Francisco ;  or  Curts  &  Jennings,  Cincin- 
nati, Chicago,  and  St.  Louis.  Even  though  one  cannot 
provide  himself  with  any  or  all  of  these  helps,  enough,  it  is 
hoped,  is  given  in  these  pages  to  make  the  trip  interesting 
and  profitable. 

It  may  be  proper  to  say  a  word  regarding  the  procuring 
and  mounting  of  pictures  for  use  in  the  class.  Whatever  you 
do,  do  not  show  pictures  from  a  book.  Curiosity  will  be  too 
great  to  resist  the  temptation  of  examining  other  pages  than 
the  one  shown,  and  thus  the  effect  will  be  spoiled.  The  best 
pictures  of  Palestine  are  those  in  The  Land  of  Christ  3ind  The 
Earthly  Footsteps  of  the  Man  of  Galilee.  Some  good  views 
are  to  be  found  in  the  Stoddard  series.  Glimpses  of  the  World. 
Old  books,  magazines,  time-tables,  etc.,  will  furnish  many 
valuable  views.  The  large  pictures  in  The  Land  of  Christ 
are  about  eight  by  ten  inches  in  size.  These  should  be  care- 
fully trimmed  and  mounted  on  cardboard  of  sufficient  thick- 
ness to  prevent  warping.  The  regular  size  of  cardboard  is 
twenty-two  by  twenty-eight  inches.  Have  the  printer  cut  each 
2  ^3 


Preface. 

sheet  in   four  parts,  which   will  give  the  proper  size  for  the 
eight  by  ten  pictures. 

A  good  paste,  which  is  sufficiently  adhesive  and  cheap,  is 
a  desideratum.  I  use  a  paste  made  of  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
laundry  starch,  mixed  with  the  white  of  one  egg,  and  boiled 
for  three  or  four  minutes,  stirring  briskly  to  prevent  lumps. 
This  paste  will  not  curl  or  warp  the  board.  There  are  a  great 
many  brands  of  prepared  paste.  I  have  used  successfully 
"  Higgins's  Photo-Mounter,"  a  six-ounce  bottle  selling  for 
twenty-five  cents.  Do  not  be  discouraged  if  the  first  at- 
tempts at  mounting  are  not  successful.  A  little  practice  will 
enable  one  to  mount  as  neatly  and  rapidly  as  the  expert. 

One  word  more  :  This  little  book  would  grovv^  into  volumes 
if  all  interesting  points  were  discussed  in  full.  It  is  suggestive 
only.  The  teacher  must  fill  in  the  details,  adapting  all  to  the 
needs  of  the  particular  class  of  minds  under  direction.  Maps 
should  be  drawn  on  the  blackboard  and  places  located  as  the 
itinerary  progresses.  The  words  and  acts  of  Jesus  should  come 
in  at  their  proper  place  in  the  narrative,  with  the  background 
of  earth  and  sky,  of  river,  lake,  wilderness,  and  mountain 
faithfully  represented.  Toward  the  close  of  the  Lord's  life 
the  events  themselves  will  become  of  surpassing  interest,  be- 
cause every  spot  of  ground  on  which  he  treads  will  be  so 
familiar,  and  the  peculiar  customs  and  habits  of  the  people 
s.o  well  known  that  everything  will  unite  to  make  him  the  one 
object  of  vision  and  of  thought. 

William  E.  McLennan. 

Berwyn^  Chicago,  1896. 

14 


IIN  HIS  FOOTSTEPS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem. 

Itinerary  and  Map  of  Route  from  New  York  to  Bethle- 
hem.— Leave  New  York  by  one  of  the  steamers  of  the  North 
German  Lloyd  Line— Gibraltar — Naples — Alexandria — Jaffa 
(Palestine) — Jerusalem — Bethlehem. 

FROM    new    YORK   TO   GIBRALTAR. 

HAVING  arrived  at  New  York  we  shall  need  to  spend 
some  time  in  selecting  the  special  articles  needed  for 
our  long  journey.  We  have  time  enough  and  should 
not  hurry.  We  should  attend  first  to  our  outfit  of  clothing. 
Everything  worn  next  the  skin  should  be  of  wool  and  of 
the  best  material.  Shoes  should  be  broad-soled  and  not  too 
thick  or  heavy.  Ulsters  and  shawls  of  good  quality  and  stout 
mackintoshes  will  be  needed.  Each  person  should  have  two 
suits  of  clothes,  "one  light  in  color  for  traveling,  and  a  darker 
suit  for  visiting  consuls,  attending  divine  services,  etc.  The 
tailor  should  be  instructed  to  make  the  sewing  extra  strong, 
for  repairs  are  dear  in  the  East,  not  to  speak  of  the  difificulty 
of  finding  the  tailor  just  when  he  is  wanted.  Travelers  will 
scarcely  be  inclined  to  adopt  oriental  costume  ;  to  do  so  with- 
out considerable  familiarity  with  the  language  would  only  ex- 
pose one  to  ridicule."  For  the  head  a  pith  helmet  with  a 
"puggery,"  or  piece  of  muslin  to  protect  from  sunstroke,- 
should  be  chosen.  The  conij^lete  change  of  climate  experi- 
enced in  passing  from  America  to  the  far  East  will  be  apt  to 
affect  health  unfavorably,  hence  a  medicine  case  stocked  with 
such  remedies  as  quinine,  made  up  into  pills  or  capsides,  cal- 

17 


In  His  Footsteps 

omel,  castor  oil,  opium  in  pills,  an  eye  wash,  ammonia,  anti- 
septic wool,  sublimate  tablets,  iodoform,  collodion,  etc.,  will 
be  found  of  great  service.  There  are  a  number  of  miscella- 
neous articles  that  should  not  be  forgotten.  The  list  should 
include  a  field-glass,  a  drinking-cup  of  leather  or  metal,  note- 
books, pocket  compass,  thermometer,  and,  if  possible,  a  photo- 
graphic outfit.  Other  materials  we  may  safely  leave  until  ar- 
rival in  the  East. 

Before  we  embark  we  shall  naturally  wish  to  see  something 
of  New  York  itself,  as  it  is  not  only  the  largest  city  in  America, 
but  is  "next  to  London  the  most  important  commercial 
center  in  the  world."  It  is  almost  entirely  surrounded  by 
water.     On  the  west  is  the  North  or  Hudson  River  ;  on  the 

r  -  -     :  ] 

.■v|||   S.  S.  LAHN,  OF  THE 
i  '  mn        NORTH  GERMAN 

1, 1,1  )\  II  i.ixi;. 


cast,  East  River;  on  its  southern  extremit},  Xew  York  Upper 
Bay.  Jersey  City  lies  on  tlie  west,  and  Brooklyn  on  the  east. 
Both  the  North  and  East  Rivers  are  filled  with  vessels  of  all 
descriptions.  The  principal  street  is  Broadway,  which  divides 
the  city  in  the  center.  There  are  a  multitude  of  interesting 
sights,  too  numerous  even  to  mention  ;  but,  though  we  may  not 
see  them  all,  we  shall  take  time  to  run  through  Central  Park 
and  to  visit  the  station  on  Ellis  Island,  where  immigrants 
from  all  portions  of  the  world — from  Palestine  even — are 
landed  almost  daily.  We  shall  locate  some  of  the  docks 
and  observe  where  we  may  take  our  steamer  for  our  long 
Atlantic  trip. 

At  last  the  day  has  come  to  embark.     Our  state-rooms  have 
been  chosen   and  our  baggage  has  been  safely  packed  and 

i8 


Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem 

stowed  away.  Our  friends,  if  they  have  come  to  see  us  off,  are 
on  the  pier  waving  us  a  last  good-bye.  We  can  hardly  keep 
back  the  tears  as  we  think  of  the  dear  land  we  are  leaving,  and 
of  those  who  shall  think  of  us  and  pray  for  us  every  day  until 
we  return  after  our  long  tour.  We  have  already  passed  out 
into  "The  Narrows."  Brooklyn  Bridge  and  the  Battery,  and 
the  great  statue  of  "  Liberty  Enlightening  the  World  "  on 
Bedloe's  Island,  are  fading  out  of  sight.  We  pass  Sandy 
Hook,  and  are  upon  the  bosom  of  the  great  Atlantic. 

The  trip  across  the  ocean  changes  very  little  from  day  to 
day.  Occasionally  porpoises,  sharks,  whales,  and  other  sea 
monsters  are  seen.  As  we  gradually  move  southward  flying 
fish  rise  on  both  sides  of  our  steamer,  resembling  flocks  of 
snowbirds.  The  numerous  vessels  that  hover  in  sight  from 
day  to  day,  laden  with  the  commerce  of  many  nations,  sug- 
gest a  fraternity  of  the  sea  which  is  one  of  the  evidences  that 
Christ  has  lived  and  that  his  Gospel  is  at  work  leavening  the 
nations.  After  we  are  out  a  couple  of  days  and  get  our  "  sea 
legs,"  as  the  sailors  say,  we  will  be  deeply  interested  in  ex- 
amining our  floatinghome.  We  shall  make  visits  to  the  engine 
rooms,  the  steerage,  the  servants'  quarters,  etc.  On  fine  days 
we  shall  find  the  ship's  officers  ready  to  give  us  any  reasonable 
information  about  ships  in  general  and  our  own  ship  in  par- 
ticular. As  we  must  meet  strange  peoples  in  the  Far  East  it 
will  be  interesting  and  profitable  to  study  human  nature  about 
us.  In  traveling  we  find  people  at  their  worst  and  best.  A 
good  storm  will  try  us  all  sufficiently,  so  that  we  may  know 
just  how  earnest  we  are  to  go  on  with  our  expedition. 

With  favorable  winds  we  sight  the  first  dim  outline  of  coast 
in  about  ten  days.  Not  long  afterward  Gibraltar,  the  guard- 
ian of  the  Mediterranean,  appears,  resembling,  at  first,  a  great 
cloud  that  has  settled  upon  the  horizon.  We  watch  it  eagerly 
as  cur  vessel  draws  nearer  and  nearer  its  rugged  sides. 
Gibraltar  is  both  a  fortress  and  a  town.  It  is  the  most  southern 
extremity  of  Spain  and  belongs  to  Great  Britain.  It  controls 
the  entrance  to  the  Mediterranean,  and  no  ship  may  therefore 
pass  it  without  permission  of  the  English  garrison.  The  so- 
called  Rock  of  Gibraltar  is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  long 
and  from  one  fourth  to  three  quarters  of  a  mile  wide.  The 
eastern  side  is  too  precipitous  to  be  scaled,  while  all  other 
points  are  protected  with  forts  and  batteries.    . 

Gibraltar  was  known  to  the  Greeks  and  Romans  as  the  limit 

19 


In  His  Footsteps 

of  the  world  on  the  west.  In  the  eighth  century  the  Moors 
chose  it  as  a  fortress.  It  passed  from  one  party  to  another 
until,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  Spain  so  strengthened  it  that 
it  was  not  taken  until  the  war  of  the  Spanish  Succession,  when 
Sir  George  Rooke  hoisted  the  English  flag  in  1704.  Seventy- 
five  years  later  the  combined  fleets  of  France  and  Spain 
besieged  Gibraltar,  investing  it  for  four  years.  The  English 
garrison  held  out,  and  from  that  time  no  one  has  disputed  Eng- 
land's control.* 

FROM  GIBRALTAR  TO  NAPLES. 

We  pass  through  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar — some  forty  miles 
long — and  are  on  the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  or 
"  Great  Sea."     No  body  of  water  in  the  world  has  so  great  his- 


torical interest  as  this.  The  ships  of  Phoenicians,  Egyptians, 
Greeks,  Romans,  and  Carthaginians,  of  almost  every  nation  of 
antiquity,  have  plowed  its  waters.  Though  our  Lord  doubt- 
less saw  it  from  afar,  it  is  not  probable  that  he  ever  sailed 
upon  it. 

•  See  a  delightful  description  of  Oibraltar  by  I)r.  Buckley  in  TriiTcls  in   Three  Con- 
tinents, pp  103-116. 


Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem 

We  might  have  chosen  the  route  by  way  of  MaUa  and  Port 
Said,  the  latter  situated  at  the  entrance  of  the  Suez  Canal. 
This  would  make  our  trip  somewhat  shorter;  but,  on  the  whole, 
the  opportunity  of  visiting  Naples,  one  of  the  most  charming 
cities  of  Italy,  and  the  historic  Alexandria  will  more  than  com- 
pensate for  the  added  time  and  distance. 

We  shall  not  see  in  our  entire  trip,  nor  should  we  see,  if  we 
traveled  around  the  globe,  a  finer  view  than  Naples,  with  its 
volcano  and  its  far-famed  bay,  presents.  A  well-known  proverb 
describes  the  feelings  of  the  most  enthusiastic  visitors  :  "  Vedi 
Napoli  e  poi  mori"  ("  See  Naples  and  die").  But  we  shall  not 
despair,  for  we  are  not  in  search  of  beauty,  which  is  often  asso- 
ciated with  the  most  disgusting  vices,  a  fact  illustrated  in  Naples 
itself,  but  we  follow  the  footsteps  of  One  who,  while  he  loved 
beauty,  spoke  only  of  truth  and  righteousness. 

FROM   NAPLES   TO   ALEXANDRIA. 

We  get  several  views  of  Italy  and  of  many  well-known 
islands,  while  our  ship  heads  for  the  African  coast.  We  shall 
read  much  about  what  we  see  and  ask  many  questions.  This, 
together  with  a  proper  interest  in  our  strange  fellow-passengers, 
will  occupy  most  of  our  spare  time.  Before  reaching  Alexan- 
dria we  shall  find  that  we  have  sailed  on  the  Mediterranean 
alone  something  over  two  thousand  miles,  occupying  the  better 
part  of  two  weeks. 

Egypt  !  What  visions  crowd  upon  us  of  pyramids,  sphinxes, 
mummies,  of  ruined  temples  and  tombs  !  But  we  cannot 
think  of  such  things  now.  We  are  in  New  Egypt.  Alexandria 
was  founded  in  332  B.  C.  by  Alexander  the  Great,  and  for  a 
considerable  time  rivaled  in  magnificence  Antioch  and  Rome. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  it  had  almost  fallen 
into  decay.  To-day  we  find  a  practically  new  city  of  about 
two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  one  fourth  of  whom  are 
Europeans.  A  half  day's  carriage  ride  will  show  us  the  most 
important  sights,  such  as  Pompey's  Pillar,  the  Palace  of  the 
Khedive,  etc. 

FROM   ALEXANDRIA   TO   JAFFA. 

We  may  have  our  choice  of  three  lines  of  steamers  from 
Alexandria  to  Jaffa,  those  of  the  Messageries  Maritimes,  Aus- 
tro-Hungarian  Lloyd,  the  latter  sailing  every  alternate  Friday, 
or  an  Egyptian  line.     The  first  two  touch  at  Port  Said. 

21 


In  His  Footsteps 

Unless  we  are  particularly  anxious  to  spend  a  few  days  at 
Port  Said,  on  the  Suez  Canal,  it  will  be  best  for  us  to  take  the 
Egyptian  line  direct  for  Jaffa. 

We  are  now  in  sight  of  the  land  made  sacred  by  patriarchs 
and  prophets,  especially  by  Him  who  was  both  Son  of  man  and 
Son  of  God,  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ.  Ourlong  journey  to  the 
land  of  Christ  is  about  ended.  In  a  few  hours  we  shall  stand  on 
the  sacred  soil  of  Palestine.  Above  us  lies  Jaffa,  or  Yafa,  as  it  is 
called  by  its  own  citizens,  a  city  of  about  twenty-five  thousand 
inhabitants.  We  cannot  land  as  in  the  splendid  harbors  of 
our  own  country,  but  must  come  to  anchor,  and  then  reach  the 
town  by  means  of  small  boats.     "  The  debarkation  at  Jaffa,  as 


^^r* 


JAFFA    FROM    THE    NORTH. 

everywhere  in  the  East,  is  invariably  conducted  with  the  least 
possible  order  and  tb.e  greatest  possible  noise."  Boatmen  with 
strange  gestures  and  a  stranger  speech  importune  us  for  pat- 
ronage. To  those  who  are  particularly  noisy  we  may  say  a  few 
words  like  ^'/skut"  ("Be  quiet  "),  ^' Imshi"  ("Begone"),  which, 
with  certain  significant  gestures,  will  clear  a  way  for  us  from  our 
steamer  to  the  small  boat  we  have  engaged  to  transfer  us  to 
the  shore.  On  our  way  we  are  reminded  that  this  is  the  site 
of  the  ancient  Joppn,  "to  which  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  under- 
took to  send  to  Solomon  wood  from  Lebanon  'in  flotes  '  for 
the  building  of  the  temple."  From  this  very  spot  the  prophet 
Jonah  took  ship  for  Tarshish  when  disobedient  to  the  com- 
mand of  God.     Here,  on  a  housetop,  Peter  saw  that  vision 

22 


Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem 

(Acts  ix,  36-43  ;  X,  9)  which  helped  him  to  overcome  his 
prejudices  against  the  Gentiles. 

Our  boat  has  touched  the  shore,  and  we  are,  at  kist,  upon  the 
sacred  soil  of  Palestine.  We  pass  the  custom  house,  and  on  up 
through  the  crooked  streets  of  the  town  to  the  Jerusalem  Hotel, 
whose  proprietor  bears  the  suggestive  name  of  Hardegg.  It 
is  regarded  as  a  good  stopping  place.  We  are  all  ready  for  a 
good  rest,  after  which  we  shall  see  something  of  the  town  and 
complete  arrangements  for  our  journey  through  the  country, 

Though  Jaffa  is  not  a  large  city,  and  differs  in  some  respects 
from  other  towns  of  Palestine,  it  is  sufficiently  characteristic 
to  serve  as  a  type  of  the  rest.  The  streets,  we  find,  are  narrow, 
"often  so  much  so  that  the  roughly  projecting  upper  story,  or 
stories,  seen  here  and  there,  are  close  together,  shutting  out 
both  light  and  heat.  The  narrowness  is,  indeed,  designed  to 
secure  this,  for  the  sun  smites  sorely  in  these  warm  lands,  and 
shade  is  a  necessity  as  Avell  as  a  delight  in  the  heat  of  the  day. 
But  the  want  of  '  made  '  roads  leaves  everything  very  wretched 
under  foot.  In  the  hot  weather  the  dust  is  inches  deep,  and, 
for  this,  in  the  rainy  season,  the  equally  deep  mud  is  a  poor 
exchange.  Shops  are  mere  jecesses,  with  no  glass  or  front  of 
any  kind,  the  goods  being  displayed  in  what  answers  to  the 
window  space,  a  large  part  of  which,  however,  is  often  taken 
up  by  the  shopkeeper  himself,  squatted  with  his  feet  under 
him  among  his  wares."  As  we  proceed  we  must  gradually  get 
accustomed  to  the  obnoxious  stenches,  for  sanitation  is  some- 
thing unknown  in  ICastern  towns.  The  habit  of  doing  nearly 
everything  out  of  doors  almost  entirely  does  away  with  privacy. 
"  In  Eastern  towns  all  trades  are  carried  on  largely  in  the 
open  air,  from  shaving  to  hammering  out  copper  trays  or 
bowls,  and  we  may  be  sure  it  was  the  same  in  Palestine  in  the 
days  of  our  Lord.  Even  the  dentist  performed,  more  or  less, 
in  the  open  street,  and,  just  as  one  has  to  do  to-day,  our  Lord 
would  have  to  tread  his  way  through  a  crowd  of  people  on 
foot,  mechanics  busy  at  their  callings,  or  riders  on  asses,  and 
not  seldom  would  have  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  a  huge  camel, 
stalking  slowly  through  the  confusion.  For  it  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  there  are  few  pavements  [sidewalks]  for  those  walk- 
ing; everyone  goes  where  he  sees  a  possibility  of  progress, 
whether  he  be  riding  a  donkey  or  leading  a  gigantic  camel, 
and  tJie  East  neater  changes."  ' 

'  Geikie,  Netu   Testament  Hours. 


In  His  Footsteps 

At  Jaffa  we  shall  be  obliged  to  complete  our  arrangements 
for  the  tour  through  the  country  ;  hence  it  will  be  necessary 
not  only  to  select  our  mode  of  traveling,  but  to  learn  some- 
thing of  the  people,  so  that  we  may  not  needlessly  intrude  upon 
them,  nor  carelessly  violate  any  of  their  cherished  opinions. 
Too  often  the  traveler  imagines  that  he  may  act  just  as  he  does 
in  his  own  country,  without  any  regard  to  the  views  of  the 
people  with  whom  he  mingles.  Three  things  every  traveler 
should  cultivate,  especially  in  the  East — ihoughtfulness, 
courtesy,  firmness. 

There  is  but  one  completed  railroad  in  Palestine — that 
which  runs  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem.  Very  soon  a  road  will 
be  finished  from  Haifa  farther  up  the  coast,  eastward  to 
Damascus,  skirting  the  southeastern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Gali- 
lee. Our  trip  will  be  so  extended  that  we  shall  choose  to  make 
arrangements  for  transportation  other  than  by  rail.  As  roads 
are  so  few  in  Palestine,  carriages  are  out  of  the  question.  We 
are  left,  therefore,  to  the  choice  of  horses  or  camels  or  to  going 
on  foot.  The  latter  we  would  hardly  undertake.  Some  would 
select  camels  without  hesitation  for  the  novelty  of  riding  on 
such  an  animal.  But  while  "he  commands  our  respect,  and 
even  our  admiration,  he  rarely  gains  our  affection;"  and  respect 
and  admiration  are  apt  to  grow  less  and  less  every  day  he  is  used 
as  a  means  of  locomotion.  Horses  are  very  much  to  be  pre- 
ferred to  camels.  "Oriental  horses  are  generally  very  docile, 
and  may  therefore  be  safely  mounted  by  the  most  inexperienced 
rider."  "  Travelers  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  language 
and  customs  of  the  country  will  find  a  dragoman  (or  manager) 
indispensable."  Having  selected  our  dragoman,  we  can  make 
arrangements  with  him  for  providing  us  with  all  necessary 
equipment,  such  as  tents,  etc.  He  will  also  act  as  interpreter 
and  general  manager  of  the  expedition.  We  sliall  take  a  tent, 
tliough  in  the  larger  towns  we  sliall  find  hotels,  and  in  almost 
all  places  hospices  in  charge  of  monks,  representing  the  vari- 
ous Cliristian  Churches.  There  are  no  restaurants  in  Pales- 
tine, but  cafes,  where  coffee  and  other  light  refreshments  are 
served,  abound. 

The  present  poi:)ulation  of  Palestine,  which  is  not  above  two 
millions,  consists  oi  Franks,  ox  Europeans;  Je^os,  the  most  of 
whom  are  recent  settlers  from  Europe;  Syrians,  "  descendants 
of  all  tliose  peoples  who  spoke  Aramaic  at  the  beginning  of 
our  era,  with  the  exceptTon  of  the  Jews;  "  Arabs,  consisting 

24 


Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem 


of  settled  and  nomadic  or  wandering  tribes ;  Turks,  whose 
numbers  are  not  large,  but  on  account  of  their  relation  to  the 
government  have  certain  privileges  not  granted  to  others. 

The  inhabitants  are  divided  according  to  religious  belief 
into  Mohammedans,  who  make  up  four  fifths  of  the  whole 
population  ;  Christians,  made  up  of  Greek  and  Roman  Cath- 
olics and  Protestants;  and  Jews.  The  Mohammedan  belief 
is  that  "  There  is  no  God  but  God,  and  Mohammed  is  the 
prophet  of  God." 
Mohammedanism  is 
the  prevailing  reli- 
gion in  Palestine. 
Mohammedans 
"  generally  w  ear 
white  turbans  with 
a  gold  thread  woven 
in  the  material.  The 
Christians  are  also 
distinguishable  by 
their  costume.  In 
the  towns  they  gen- 
erally wear  the  sim- 
ple red  fez,  which 
is  occasionally  en- 
veloped in  a  dark 
turban.  The  Jews 
are  generally  tall  and 
slender  in  stature, 
wear  their  pecul- 
iar sidelocks  of  hair 
and  broad-brimmed 
felt  hats  or  turbans 
of  dark  cloth." 

In  all  intercourse  with  the  natives  of  the  country  we  should 
be  careful  to  observe  what  they  regard  as  proper  form. 
"  Orientals  accuse  Europeans  of  doing  everything  the  wrong 
way,  such  as  writing  from  left  to  right,  while  they  do  the  re- 
verse, and  uncovering  the  head  on  entering  a  room,  w^hile  they 
remove  their  shoes,  but  keep  their  heads  covered.  The 
traveler  should  endeavor  to  habituate  himself  to  the  custom 
of  taking  off  the  slioes  on  entering  a  house,  as  it  is  considered 
a  grave  breach  of  politeness  to  tread  upon  the  carpets  with 

25 


A   JERUSALEM   JEW. 


In  His  Footsteps 


them."  We  must,  while  in  tlie  East,  become  accustomed  to 
great  delays.  Time  means  nothing  with  these  people.  They 
are  very  ceremonious  in  their  reception,  entertainment,  and 
dismissal  of  guests,  and  so  patience  is  very  much  needed. 
Still,  as  we  proceed,  we  shall  become  accustomed  to  their 
ceremony  and  rather  enjoy  it.  One  thing  we  cannot  fail  to 
mark,  that  "  the  degraded  ruffianism  so  common  in  the  most 
civilized  countries  is   quite  unknown  here.     The  people  of 

the  country,  even  of  the  poorest  and 
entirely  uneducated  class,  often 
possess  a  native  dignity,  self-respect, 
and  gracefulness  of  manner,  of 
which  the  traveler  will  grieve  to 
admit  his  own  countrymen,  of  a  far 
higher  status  in  society,  are  for  the 
most  part  utterly  destitute." 

We  may  as  well,  right  in  the  be- 
ginning, make  up  our  minds  not  to 
rely  altogether  on  the  English  lan- 
guage. We  shall  need  to  learn  some- 
thing of  the  Arabic,  which  is  uni- 
versally spoken.  One  word  will 
meet  us  everywhere,  and  ring  in  our 
ears  as  we  depart — the  word  "  Back- 
sheesh." It  means  ''  a  gift,"  and  as 
everything  is  to  be  had  for  gifts  the 
word  has  many  applications.  "  Thus 
with  backsheesh  the  tardy  opera- 
tions of  the  custom-house  officer 
are  accelerated,  backsheesh  supplies 
the  place  of  a  passport,  backsheesh 
is  the  alms  bestowed  on  a  beggar, 
backsheesh  means  blackmail,  and, 
lastly,  a  large  proportion  of  the  officials  of  the  country  are 
said  to  live  almost  exclusively  on  backsheesh."  The  natives 
regard  every  traveler  as  a  Crccsus.  "  In  every  village  the 
traveler  is  assailed  with  crowds  of  ragged,  half-naked  chil- 
dren shouting,  '  Backsheesh,  backsheesh,  ya  khowaja  !  '  The 
best  reply  is  to  complete  the  rhyme  with  '' JSla  fish,  ma  fish' 
('There  is  nothing'),  which  will  generally  have  the  effect  of 
dispersing  them." 

26 


Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem 


FROM   JAFFA    TO    JERUSALEM. 

Everything  having  been  arranged  with  our  dragoman,  we 
set  off  in  good  season  for  that  city  whose  name  and  history 
will  live  longest  with  the  race — Jerusalem,  the  type  and  sym- 
bol of  our  heavenly  home.  It  is  but  forty-one  miles  from 
Jaffa.  We  pass  through  the  Jeru- 
salem Gate  and  turn  toward  the 
southeast,  passing  higli  cactus 
hedges  with  orchards  behind  them. 
We  pass  the  house  of  Tabitha  (Acts 
ix,  ^6),  the  plain  of  Sharon,  Lydda 
a  little  to  our  left,  Ramleh,  founded 
about  700  B.  C,  and  Ajalon, 
where  Joshua  commanded  the  sun 
to  "stand  still  upon  Gibeon,"  and 
the  moon  "  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon," 
There  are  numer- 
ous other  places 
identified  with 
towns  and  villa- 
ges of  Scripture, 
but  we  cannot 
pause  to  examine 
them.  FroniKu- 
loniyeh,  four  and 
one  half  miles 
from  Jersusalem, 
which  some  iden- 
tify with  Em-  -  -  . 
maus,   we  begin 

to  ascend,  finding  our  road  grad- 
ually becoming  more  and  more 
stony  and  dreary.  At  last  the 
glittering  dome  of  the  Mosque  of 
Omar,  which  has  taken  the  place  of 
the  temple,  bursts  upon  our  view, 
and  *'  behind  it  the  tower  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,"  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  city.  Dome  after  dome  of  the  churches  and 
mosques  appear,  and,  finally,  the  city's  walls.  In  a  few  min- 
utes we  have  passed  the  Jaffa  Gate  and  are  within  the  city. 

What  is  now  called  Jerusalem,  we  soon  learn,  is  not  the 

27 


HIGHWAY   WITH    CACTUS 
HEDGE. 


In  His  Footsteps 


city  over  which  Christ  wept.     That  has  long  since  passed 
away.      It   lies   buried   under   tlie   dust   of  centuries.      The 

present  city  is  inclose! 
by  a  wall  some  forty 
feet  in  height,  sur- 
mounted by  thirty- 
four  towers.  The 
walls  are  pierced  by 
eight  gates,  one  of 
which  is  closed,  the 
principal  one  being  the 
Jaffa  Gate  through 
which  we  have  just 
entered.  Jerusalem  is 
not  a  pleasant  ciiy, 
though  not  unhealth- 
ful.  Lawns,  yards, and 
parks  are  a  rarity. 
The  most  of  the  streets 
are  not  ten  feet  in 
width,  and  are  irreg- 
ularly paved.  Every- 
thing is  covered  with 
oriental  dirt.  The  pop- 
ulation is  not  much 
above  forty  thousand. 
More  than  half  are 
Jews.  The  remainder 
are  about  equally  di- 
vided among  Moham- 
medans and  Christians. 
Of  the  latter  four  thou- 
sand     are      orthodox 


AN    OKIINTAL    STREKT. 


estants.   There  is  much 

to    see    in    Jerusalem, 

but   we    shall    reserve 

the  chief  objects  of  interest    until  subsequent  visits,  as  we 

follow  our    Lord's  footsteps   during  his  early  life  and  later 

ministry. 

28 


Over  Sea  to  Bethlehem 


FROM    JERUSALEM    TO    BETHLEHEM. 

We  pass  out  of  Jerusalem  at  the  same  gate  by  which  we 
entered  and  turn  southward  on  one  of  the  best  roads  in 
Palestine.  It  is  but  six  miles  to  Betlilehem.  Passing  through 
the  upper  part  of  the  Valley  of  Hinnom  we  cross  a  plain, 
probably    the    Valley 

of  Rephaim,  where  P™"  ^.^...^^^^^^BBM^te-— — -*-?*#«i 
David  met  and  de- 
feated the  Philistines 
(2  Sam.  V,  18).  A 
little  farther  along  is 
a  cistern  known  as  the 
"Well  of  the  Magi," 
where  it  is  said  the 
wise  men  saw  the  star 
after  their  departure 
from  the  presence  of 
Herod  (Matt,  ii,  9). 
One  of  the  most  in- 
teresting sights  on  the 
road  between  Jeru- 
salem and  Bethlehem 
is  the  so-called  "Tomb 
of  Rachel,"  which  is 
supposed  to  mark  the 
scene  of  Rachel's 
death  (Gen.  xxxv,  19). 
The  spot  is  equally 
sacred  to  Moham- 
medan, Christian,  and 
Jew.  Here  we  turn 
to  the  left  from  the 
main  road,  and  in  less 

than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  are  in  the  outskirts  of  Bethlehem. 
We  have,  at  last,  like  those  ancient  worshipers  from  the  East 
— the  Magi — found  the  place  where  the  young  child  was 
born.  From  this  point  our  real  pilgrimage  begins,  for  we 
are  to  walk  the  same  ground,  so  far  as  we  can,  which  he 
passed  over  from  his  birth  to  his  ascension. 


BETHLEHEM — FROM    THE    VALLEY    OF 
THE    SHEPHERDS. 


SKE  TCH    MAP 
from  -tk.   eitt^^)jClmi1 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 


CHAPTER  II. 

From  Birth  of  Christ  to  the  Beginning  of  His  Ministry, 

B.  C.  5-A.  D.  27. 

Itinerary  and  Map. — Birth  of  Christ  at  Bethlehem — Jerusalem 
— Egypt,  through  Bethlehem — Hebron,  Gaza  —  Jerusalem  — 
Nazareth. 

IN    liETHLEHEM. 

Birth  of  Christ,  December.  B.  C.  5 I.uke  ii,  C\  7. 

Adoration  of  the  shepherds I  like  ji,  8-20. 

Circumcision Luke  ii,  21. 

BETHLEHEM  is  a  very  old  town.  It  is  here  where 
Naomi  and  Ruth  hved.  It  was  the  home  of  the  family 
of  David,  and  within  it  David  was  crowned  King  of 
Israel.  The  prophet  Micah  declared  that  the  Messiah  should 
be  born  here  (Micah  v,  2).  The  town  lies  on  "the  eastern 
brow  of  a  ridge  that  runs  from  east  to  west,  a  mile  in  length, 
and  is  surrounded  by  hills."  It  is  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  higher  than  the  level  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. The  present  population  is  about  eight  thousand, 
of  whom  two  hundred  and  sixty  are  Mohammedans  and 
but  fifty  are  Protestants.  "A  walk  down  the  main  street 
of  Bethlehem  must  bring  before  us  as  close  a  rei)roduc- 
tion  of  an  old  Hebrew  village  of  Christ's  days  as  we  can 
hope  to  see,  though  perhaps  it  is  less  sordid,  from  the  in- 
fluence of  Western  ideas.  There  is  no  thought  of  sanitation, 
in  the  Western  sense.  Rivulets  and  puddles  of  abomination 
abound,  and  the  long-nosed,  yellow,  masterless  dogs  cannot 
eat  all  the  garbage.  The  workshops  are  only  arches  with  no 
window — the  busy  w^orkers  sitting  crosslegged  on  the  floor, 
carving  rosaries,  perhaps  from  the  stones  of  the  doni  palm, 
or  of  the  date  or  olivewood;  or  crosses  of  various  materials; 
or  ornaments  of  bitumen  from  the  Dead  Sea;  or  cutting  Scrip- 
ture scenes  on  oyster  shells  from  the  Red  Sea.  Nothing 
could  be  ruder  than  the  place  in  which  they  work,  for  it  is 
often  a  rough  cave,  with  a  layer  of  reed  stalks  overhead  to 

31 


In  His  Footsteps 


keep  out  the  damp;  the  natural  limestone  left  uncarved  as 
a  floor,  and  the  doorway  an  illustration  of  carpentry  primitive 
enough  for  the  prehistoric  period.  Shops  there  may  be  said 
to  be  none,  but  men  sit  on  the  ground  along  the  sides  of  the 
streets  with  piles  of  vegetables  for  sale;  or  dusty  groceries 
spread  out  on  a  iew  boxes  or  rough  shelves;  or  a  small  stock 
of  raisins,  oranges,  or  figs;  or  cakes  and  thin  sticks  of  bread; 
or  a  tempting  assortment  of  mouse-traps,  and  other  equally 
important  attractions.  It  was  much  the  same,  no  doubt,  when 
Joseph  and  Mary  came  to  Bethlehem,  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago,  finding  shelter,  one  may  fancy,  where  the  Church  of  the 
Nativity  now  stands,  with   its  bare  open   space  in  front,  and 


BKTHLEHEM- 


-"THE      CHURCH     OF     THE     NATIVITY         IS     SUR- 
MOUNTED    BY     A     CROSS. 


children  play  and  old  men  rest  on  fallen  ancient  pillars  that 
lie  here  and  there.  The  line  of  the  two  or  three  streets,  tlie 
character  of  the  houses,  and  the  names  of  the  people  are  still, 
no  doubt,  virtually  the  same  as  when  Christ  lay  a  babe  in  tiie 
Uethlehem  manger."  ' 

The  object  of  all  interest  in  IJcthlehem  is,  of  course,  tlie 
great  "  Church  of  St.  Mary,"or,  as  it  is  generally  known,  the 
"  Church  of  the  Nativity."  There  is  a  tradition  as  far  back 
as    the  second    centurY    I'.iat    Christ   was   born    in  a  cavern. 


1  Geikic,  JYt'w  Testament  Hours. 


32 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 

There  is  nothing  in  the  record  against  such  a  belief.  Caves 
were  used  for  many  i)urposes.  "  Perhaps  the  fact  maybe  that 
the  cave,  in  its  original  shape,  was  connected  wiih  a  house, 


THE   CHAPEL   OF   THE   NATIVITY. 


forming  its    rear   apartment  and  used  as  a  stable.     To  this 
house  went  Joseph  and  Mary,  wlicn  tliey  could  find  no  room 

33 


In  His  Footsteps 

at  the  inn,  and  when  the  child  was  born  it  was  Laid  in  the 
manger  as  the  most  convenient  pLice.'"  Over  this  cavern, 
which  has  been  believed  all  these  centuries  to  be  the  birth- 
place of  Christ,  the  Emperor  Constantine  built  a  church  in 
the  year  330.  It  is  believed  that  the  present  edifice  is  the 
original  structure.  At  any  rate,  it  is  the  oldest  church  in  the 
world.  But  it  is  not  the  magnificent  church  as  much  as  the 
"  Chapel  of  the  Nativity  "  that  interests  us.  This  chapel  is 
the  Cave  of  the  Nativity,  and  is  about  forty  feet  long,  twelve 
feet  wide,  and  ten  feet  high.  The  pavement  and  linings  of 
the  walls  are  of  marble.  Under  the  altar  is  a  recess  around 
which  burn  fifteen  lamps.  In  the  center  of  the  recess  is  a 
silver  star  with  the  inscription:  ''''Hie  de  Virgine  Maria  Jesus 
Christus  natus  esf  ("  Here  Jesus  Christ  was  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary").  Three  steps  below  is  the  "  Chapel  of  the  Manger," 
where  it  is  said  the  original  wooden  manger  was  discovered 
by  the  Empress  Helena.  There  are  many  other  objects  of 
interest  pointed  out,  but  it  might  as  well  be  said  that  the 
majority  are  manufactured,  not  having  even  the  uncertain 
basis  of  tradition.'' 

We  can  imagine  the  shepherds  hurrying  in  from  the  plain 
within  a  few  minutes'  walk  of  Bethlehem  to  look  upon  the 
face  of  the  newborn  Child.  These  were  not  ignorant  men 
like  those  we  generally  meet  to-day  among  the  peasantry, 
but  probably  guardians  of  the  flocks  for  the  use  of  the 
temple. 

Regarding  the  rite  of  circumcision,  it  is  an  open  question 
whether  it  was  performed  in  Bethlehem  or  Jerusalem.  Geikie 
thinks  the  Child  was  taken  to  the  temple  as  it  was  so  near,  but 
there  is  nothing  in  proof  of  sucli  a  statement.  "Custom  would 
allow  of  its  being  done  in  the  local  synagogue,  or  in  the 
humble  house  of  prayer,  in  Bethlehem  itself,  or  even  in  the 
house  in  which  Joseph  and  Mary  lodged." 

FROM    DETHLEME.M    TO    JERUSALEM. 
Presentation  in  llie  temple,  ....  .         .         Luke  ii,  22-38. 

From  Bethlehem  Jesus  is  carried  up  to  Jerusalem  to  be 
presented  to  the  Lord  in  the  temple.  On  our  way  we  may 
glance  at  the  peculiar  characters  we  meet,  the  various  styles 

•Andrews,  Li/e  of  Our  Lord. 

^Photographs  of  paintings  by  the  olJ  masters  may  easily  be  secured  for  illustration 
of  Christ's  birth, 

34 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 

of  garments,  and  the  types  of  beasts  of  burden.  Just  such  a 
scene  must  have  met  the  eyes  of  Joseph  and  Mary  as  they 
went  up  to  the  temple  according  to  the  custom  of  their  na- 
tion As  they  approached  the  city  the  first  object  to  attract 
them  would  be  the  temple  itself.  They  would  pick  their  way 
through  the  crowded  streets,  narrow  and  dirty,  as  now,  into 
the  sacred  inclosure,  where  they  would  dedicate  their  first- 
born to  the  service  of  God.  What  lessons  of  consecration 
do  we  learn  as  we  follow  them  into  the  city!  But  what  a 
change  has  taken  place!  There  on  Mount  Moriah  the  original 
temple  was  built  by  Solomon,  rebuilt  by  the  command  of 
Cyrus,  516  B.  C.      The  temple  in  which  our  Lord  was  pre- 


JERUSALEM— THE  MOSQUE  OF  OMAR. 

sented  was  begun  by  Herod,  B.  C.  20,  and  destroyed  by 
the  Romans,  A.  D.  70.  On  the  site  of  that  temple  there 
now  stands  a  Mohammedan  mosque— the  Mosque  of  Omar. 
It  is  thus  described  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Buckley:  "The 
Mosque  of  Omar,  built  over  the  rock,  and  often  spoken 
of  as  the  Dome  of  the  Rock,  is  a  splendid  building, 
octagonal  in  shape,  each  side  being  sixty-six  feet  long, 
having  gates  facing  each  of  tiie  points  of  the  compass. 
On  entering  I  gazed  about  me  with  awe.  The  light  came 
dimly  through  thirty- six  stained  glass  windows,  when  sud- 
denly the  sun,  emerging  from  a  cloud,  lighted  up  the 
dreadful  gloom,  which  oppressed  the   mind   and  pained  the 

35 


In  His  Footsteps 

eye,  and  the  long  cloisters  appeared.  We  stood  upon  a 
pavement  of  elegant  marble  mosaic,  and  above  us  rose  a  dome 
to  the  height  of  ninety  feet,  having  a  diameter  of  sixty-six 
feet.  The  walls  are  covered  with  tiles  of  every  hue,  of  price- 
less value,  and  the  frieze  consists  of  tiles  which  bear  inscrip- 
tions from  the  Koran.'" 

FROM     JERUSALEM     TO     EOVPT     DV    W.W    OF    DETMLEIIEM,    HE" 

HRON,    ANIJ    GAZA,    ll.    C.    4. 

Visit  of  the  Magi Matl.  ii,  1-12. 

'I'he  Flight, Matt,  'n,  13-15. 

There  is  much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  order  of 
events.  Some  think  the  visit  of  the  Magi,  or  wise  men,  came 
before  tlie  presentation  in  the  temple;  others  believe  that, 
after  the  visit  at  Jerusalem,  the  family  went  to  Nazareth, 
where  the  wise  men  sought  them.  There  is  no  evidence  on 
which  a  positive  opinion  can  be  based.  The  weight  of 
opinion  favors  tlie  order  here  indicated. 

Again  v/e  are  on  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem, 
passing  southward.  Somewhere  on  the  road — tradition  says 
at  the  "  Well  of  the  Magi"" — the  wise  men  saw  the  star,  after 
their  departure  from  Herod.  They  followed  the  star,  and 
according  to  the  traditional  belief,  which  seems  reasonable, 
they  found  him  in  Bethlehem  and  presented  liim  with  their 
gifts — gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh. 

On  account  of  the  determination  of  Herod  that  no  one 
shall  rise  to  dispute  his  authority  as  "King  of  the  Jews;" 
Joseph  and  Mary  are  warned  to  depart  into  Egypt.  The 
traditional  route  of  the  family  to  Egypt  was  from  Bethlehem 
south  to  Hebron,  thence  west  to  Gaza,  and  southwest  through 
the  desert  to  the  village  of  Matariyeh,  near  Cairo.  There 
arcxmany  interesting  sights  on  the  way,  and  the  opportunity 
of  looking  upon  the  childhood  home  of  our  Lord  will  be 
well  worth  the  time  and  effort  necessary  to  make  the  trip. 
From  Bethlehem  it  will  take  about  one  and  a  quarter  hours 
to  reach  the  Pools  of  Solomon,  directly  soutli.  These  pools 
are  immense  tanks  made  of  large  hewn  stones  coated  with 
cement.  It  is  believed  that  they  were  built  in  Solomon's 
time  to  furnish  water  for  the  temple.  Hebron  is  about  as 
far  from  Solomon's  Pools  as  the  Pools  are  from  Jerusalem. 
It  is  a  very  ancient  town,  rivaling  Damascus  in  this  respect. 

*  Travels  in  Three  Continents. 

36 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 

There  is  a  tradition  that  here  Adam  was  created.  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  Abraham,  died  at  Hebron.  It  was  destroyed  by 
Joshua  (Josh,  x,  27),  and  was  an  important  center  during 
David's  life.  'I'he  present  town  lias  about  five  thousand  in- 
habitants, nearly  all  Mohammedans,  and  very  fanatical,  as 
we  discover  when  the  children  follow  us  shouting  Arabic 
curses.     From  Hebron  we  turn  southwest  to  Gaza,  whicli  has 


IN    THE     LAND    OF    EGYPT — RAISING     WATER     FROM    THE     NILE 
FOR  IRRIGATION. 


many  Egyptian  characteristics.  Gaza  is  an  important  trading 
center  between  Egypt  and  Palestine.  Near  the  town  we  visit 
the  spot  that  is  pointed  out  as  the  place  from  which  Samson 
carried  off  the  gates  of  the  Philistines. 

The  journey  of  Joseph,  Mary,  and  the  Babe  to  Egypt  oc- 
cupied, according  to  tradition,  two  weeks.  We  shall  hardly 
make  the  trip  in  less  time  now.  Arriving  at  Matariyeh  we 
shall   find   many  evidences  of  what  tradition  has  marked  as 

37 


In  His  Footsteps 

memorials  of  the  holy  family's  visit.  The  Nile,  with  its 
peculiar  boats,  the  Pyramids,  Sphinx,  etc.,  are  very  much 
what  they  were  when  Christ  was  in  Egypt,  though  there  is 
nothing  to  show  that  either  he  or  his  parents  looked  upon 
either  the  river  or  these  ancient  monuments.' 


FROM    EGYPT    TO    NAZARETH. 


I.eaving  Eg\'pt,    . 
Boyhood  in  Nazareth, 


Matt,  ii,  16-23. 
Luke  ii,  40. 


It  is  impossible  to  say  how  long  the  family  remained  in 
Egypt.  Authorities  vary  from  a  few  months  to  eight  years. 
They  were  there  until  the  message  came,  "  They  are  dead 
tliat  sought  the  young  child's  life."  In  all  probability  they 
expected  to  return  to  Nazareth  by  way  of  Jerusalem,  but 
when  Joseph  heard  that  '' Archelaus  was  reigning  over  Judea 

in  the  room  of  his  fa- 
ther Herod,  he  was 
afraid  to  go  thither  [to 
Jerusalem],  and  being 
warned  of  God  in  a 
dream  he  withdrew  in- 
to the  parts  of  Gali- 
lee." They  may  have 
reached  Nazareth  fol- 
lowing the  coast  north- 
ward as  far  as  Ja.fa, 
thence  northeast  to 
Shechem,  or  what  is 
now  Nabulus,  thence  directly  north,  on  the  Nazareth  and 
Jerusalem  road,  to  their  home.  Without  positive  knowledge 
of_  the  route,  we  can  only  choose  that  which  seems  the  most 
reasonable. 

Second  only  in  interest  to  the  place  of  the  Lord's  birth  is 
Nazareth,  where  he  spent  his  boyhood,  that  period  which 
usually  determines  what  the  rest  of  life  shall  be.  How  eagerly 
we  scan  those  streets  which  so  closely  resemble  the  very  ones 
in  which  Jesus  played  and  over  which  he  often  walked  on  some 
errand  for  his  parents!  But  we  cannot  examine  them  now. 
Our  horses  need  food,  and  particularly  rest  after  their  long 
journey  from  the  south.     The  best  camping  ground  is  among 

'.Dr-  Buckley's  Travels  in  Three  Contitients  givos  an  interesting  account  of  Egyptian 
antiquities.     They  are  well  illustrated  in  The  Earthly  Footsteps  0/ the  Man  0/ Galilee. 

38 


TENT    LIFE    IN    PALESTINE. 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 

those  orchards  on  the  north  of  the  town.  We  shall  put  up 
our  tent  and  prepare  for  quite  a  long  visit.  Had  we  arrived 
in  the  spring  we  would  have  found  its  white  walls  "em- 
bosomed in  a  green  framework  of  cactus  hedges,  fig  and 
olive  trees." 

Nazareth,  whose  present  name  is  En  Nasira,  is  not  men- 
tioned in  the  Old  Testament.  The  question  that  was  often 
asked,  "Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth.?"  is  a 
hint  that  its  reputation  was  not  very  good.  However,  there 
is  no  place  so  bad  but  that,  if  it  is  God's  will  we  should  be 
there,  we  may,  as  did  Christ  in  Nazareth,  live  a  holy  life. 
The  present  population  is  seven  thousand  five  hundred,  made 


...S^^^f^ 


I      '     '■■J rr^— •*:J;^- -fTi 


fi^ssfenUE'T"  «?•;''  ri   ret    R-   -  '<>—- 
NAZARETH. 

up  principally  of  Orthodox  Greeks,  Latins,  and  Moham- 
medans. 'Hiere  are  about  two  hundred  Protestants.  Every 
one  visiting  Nazareth  seeks  some  memorial  of  Christ.  We 
turn  our  steps  to  the  great  Latin  monastery  on  the  east  of  the 
town.  Inside  its  high  walls  is  the  "Church  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion." Two  columns  in  the  chapel  of  this  church  mark  where 
the  angel  Gabriel  and  Mary  are  supposed  to  have  stood  when 
it  was  announced  that  she  was  to  be  the  mother  of  Christ. 
On  the  rock,  which  is  overlaid  with  marble,  it  is  said  the 
"  House  of  the  Virgin  "  stood.  There  is  a  story  told  that  on 
May  lo,  1291,  this  sacred  dwelling,  that  it  might  not  be  dese- 
crated by  impious  hands,  was  carried  by  angels  into  Dalmalia, 
and  thence  to  Italy.  A  little  north  of  the  monastery  we  come 
to  the  so-called  house  and  workshop  of  Joseph.  Ascending 
the  hill  on  the  northwest  we  get  a  fine  view  of  the  town  and 

39 


In  His  Footsteps 

surrounding  country.  On  the  east  is  Mount  Tabor  and  Little 
Hermon,  southwest  is  Mount  Carmel  and  the  Mediterranean, 
directly  south  the  famous  plain  of  Esdraelon.  We  need  not 
doubt  that  from  this  very  point  the  boy  Jesus  saw  just  what 
we  see  to-day.  On  the  east  as  we  descend  is  a  spring  called 
St.  Mary's  Well.  The  pilgrims  of  the  Greek  Church  bathe 
their  eyes  and  head  in  this  water,  believing  it  to  be  sacred. 
There  is  no  other  spring  in  Nazareth.  Standing  there  we  see 
at  evening  crowds  gather  with  pitchers  to  draw  water,  and 
can  almost  believe  ourselves  looking  upon  a  scene  such  as 
Jesus  saw  many  a  time  in  this  his  own  town. 

Besides  these  memorials  of  Christ,  tradition  has  given  us 
many  stories  of  his  boyhood.  It  is  told  of  him  that  he 
carried  water  in  his  robe  ;  pulled  a  short  board  to  the  required 
length  ;  molded  sparrows  out  of  clay  which  flew  when  he 
clapped  his  hands;  turned  his  playmates  into  kids;  struck 
dead  the  boys  who  ran  against  him  in  play.  Of  course,  all 
such  stories  are  vulgar  inventions.  Nobody  who  possesses 
common  sense  believes  them.  From  all  we  read  in  the  gospels 
we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  Jesus  was  different  from  the 
majority  of  boys  except  in  his  perfect  obedience  to  his  parents, 
his  kindness  to  his  playmates,  his  lack  of  all  rudeness  to  the 
aged  or  others,  and  his  love  of  service.  He  was  z. perfect  boy, 
loving  and  beloved,  just  such  a  character  as  any  boy  may 
resemble  if  he  will.  He  played  as  well  as  worked,  and  his 
laugli  was  probably  as  loud  as  that  of  any  boy  in  Nazareth; 
but  we  may  be  sure  he  never  laughed  at  sorrow  or  pain  or 
old  age,  nor  listened  to  anything  that  was  coarse  or  vulgar. 

FROM    NAZARETH    TO    JERUSALE.M,   A.  D.   S. 

On  the  road Luke  i!,  41,  42. 

In  the  temple, Luke  ii,  43-50. 

When  Jesus  was  twelve  years  of  age  his  parents  decided  to 
take  him  with  them  to  Jerusalem  to  attend  the  annual  pass- 
over  or  festival.  How  anxiously  he  must  have  looked  for- 
ward to  sucli  a  journey  !  All  boys  like  to  visit  a  large  city,  and 
are  always  interested  in  the  sights  on  the  way.  "His  pres- 
ence at  the  passover,  at  the  age  of  twelve,  was  in  accordance 
with  Jewish  custom.  At  tliat  age  the  Jewish  boys  began  to  be 
instructed  in  the  law,  to  be  subject  to  the  fasts,  and  to  attend 
regularly  the  feasts,  and  were  called  the  Sons  of  the  Law."  ' 

'  Andrews,  Life  of  Our  I.orii:  also  Meyer  and  others. 
40 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 

Jerusalem  is  about  eighty  miles  from  Nazareth,  and  the 
journey  takes  about  three  days  of  easy  travel.  Joseph,  Mary, 
and  Jesus,  together  with  their  neighbors,  must  have  taken  the 
road,  or  rather  path  (as  roads  according  to  our  Western  ideas 
are  unknown  in  Palestine),  through  Samaria,  notwithstanding 
the  bitterness  between  Samaritans  and  Jews.  Crossing  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon  on  the  south  we  get  a  fine  view  of  Mount 
Tabor  to  the  northeast,  pass  Jezreel,  now  called  Zerim,  where 
Saul  lost  his  life  fighting  his  great  battle  against  the  Philis- 
tines (i  Sam.  xxix,  i  ;  2  Sam.  i,  21).  "Jezreel  was  afterward 
the  residence  of  King  Ahab  and  of  Jezebel.  On  the  vine- 
clad  hills   lay  the  vineyard  of  Naboth,  where  Joram,  Ahab's 


"Hi  "v-  JJ^^~~ 


GALILEAN    CARAVAN    APPROACHING    JERUSALKM. 

second  son,  was  slain  by  Jehu."  The  attention  of  the  boy 
Jesus  was,  doubtless,  called  to  these  interesting  events  in  the 
history  of  the  chosen  people.  Our  next  important  town,  fol- 
lowing the  steps  of  the  family  on  to  Jerusalem,  is  Jenin. 
This  was  unknown  in  Christ's  time,  unless  it  answered  to  the 
ancient  Engennim  (Josh,  xix,  21).  Past  Jenin  the  road 
skirts  Samaria,  now  known  as  Sebastiyeh,  once  the  capi- 
tal of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  Here  John  the  Baptist,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  was  buried,  and  Philip  preached  the  Gospel. 
I  he  next  important  town  on  our  route — indeed,  one  of  the 
most  important  towns  in  Palestine— is  Nabulus  (Nablus  or 
Nablous).     It  IS  on  the  site  of  ancient  Shechem.     On  one  side 

41 


In  His  Footsteps 

of  the  town  is  Mount  Gerizim,  and  on  the  other  is  Mount 
Ebal,  famous  in  Old  Testament  history  for  their  relation  to 
the  giving  of  the  law.  Then,  as  now,  Mount  Gerizim  was 
the  holy  mountain  of  the  Samaritans.  Climbing  the  moun- 
tain we  discover  a  little  basin  near  the  summit  where  the 
Samaritans  pitch  their  tents  during  the  celebration  of  the 
feast  of  the  passover.  Just  out  of  Nabulus  we  pass  Joseph's 
tomb  and  then  Jacob's  well,  where,  a  few  years  later,  Jesus 
speaks  of  the  water  of  life  to  the  "  woman  of  Samaria."  The 
only  other  places  worthy  of  attention  before    reaching  Jeru- 


JESUS    AND    THE    DOCIORS. 
(From    the   painting   by    Holman    Hunt.) 

salem  is  Seilun,  the  ancient  Shiloh— the  home  of  Eli  and 
Samuel  (i  Sam.  iii  and  iv) — and  Betin  or  Bethel.  The  history 
of  all  these  places  must  have  been  referred  to  as  the  family 
passed  on  to  the  capital.  Nearing  the  city  they  would  see 
vast  crowds,  greater  by  many  thousands  than  ever  attended 
the  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago,  covering  all  those 
hills.  Josephus  reckoned  the  number  attending  a  single 
passover  at  more  than  two  and  a  half  millions.  "  Every 
house  in  the  narrow  limits  of  Jerusalem  was  crowded  with 
pilgrims,  and  the  whole  landscape  round  covered  with  tents 

42 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 

or  booths  of  mat  and  wickerwork  and  interwoven  leaves.  As 
Joseph  and  Mary  with  her  son  came  in  sight  of  the  city  from 
the  north  they  would  be  on  ground  as  high  as  Mount  Zion," 
which  lay  in  Iront  of  them  a  little  to  their  right,  overtopping 
the  other  hills  on  which  the  city  is  built.  On  its  summit  they 
would  see  Herod's  palace.  With  what  eagerness  would  the 
boy's  eyes  be  turned  to  the  left,  where,  on  Mount  Moriah, 
stood  the  temple,  wiih  the  fortress  of  Antonia  near  it !  Below 
him,  to  the  south,  was  the  lower  city.  All  around  Jerusalem 
are  valleys  which,  with  the  neighboring  hills,  are  practically 
unchanged  since  the  eyes  of  Jesus  first  rested  upon  them. 
On  the  west  and  south  are  the  valleys  of  Gihon  and  Hinnom, 
north  and  east  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  and  the  bed  of  the 
brook  Kedron.  On  the  east  is  the  Mount  of  Olives,  with  the 
garden  of  Gethsemane  on  its  western  slope.  To-day  we  see 
Mount  Zion  given  over  to  the  Armenians,  and  Mount  Moriah, 
which  now  bears  the  name  of  Haram  esh  Sherif,  is  crowned 
by  the  Mohammedan  Mosque  of  Omar.  Sad  as  these  changes 
seem, we  cr.n,ifwe  try,iniagine  ourselves  in  the  Jerusalem  of  the 
days  of  Jesus.  On  that  holy  mount  of  Moriah  he  entered  his 
Father's  house  for  the  first  time  since  he  was  brought  there  as 
a  babe  to  be  dedicated  to  God.  Now  he  was  a  "  Son  of  the 
Law,"  and  might  perform  all  religious  duties.  "The  tephil- 
lin,  or  phylacteries,  had  doubtless,  as  was  usual,  been  put  on 
him  publicly  in  the  synagogue  of  Nazareth,  to  mark  the  tran- 
sition from  boyhood,  to  remind  him  that  he  was  henceforth 
to  wear  them,  to  keep  the  feasts,  to  follow  the  law  of  the 
rabbis,  and  to  think  seriously  of  his  future  calling  in  life. 
He  would  be  freer,  therefore,  to  go  where  he  liked,  without 
supervision,  than  a  boy  of  the  same  age  with  us,  and  hence 
all  Jerusalem,  with  its  thousand  wonders,  lay  before  him  to 
study  as  he  chose."  ' 

FROM    JERUSALEM    TO    NAZARETH. 

Keturn, Luke,  n,  51a. 

Stay  in  Nazareth  umil  beginning  of  public  ministry,     .         .         Luke  il,  51b,  52. 

AVe  retrace  oursteps  northward  over  the  same  route  which 
brought  us  to  Jerusalem.  Many  objects  of  interest  not  be- 
fore  observed  will    meet   us   on   the'way.      How  often    Jesus 


*  Geikie,  LiJ'c  0/  Christ. 

43 


In  His  Footsteps 

walked  this  road  previous  to  his  entrance  upon  liis  ministry 
we  do  not  know,  but  it  was  doubtless  very  familiar  to  him. 

From  his  return  after  his  boyhood  visit  to  Jerusalem  his 
youth,  as  his  boyhood,  was  spent  in  the  quiet  home  at  Naz- 
areth. These  must  have  been  years  full  of  blessing.  Here 
he  prepared  himself  in  body,  mind,  and  heart  for  his  ministry. 
"  The  white,  flat-roofed  houses  of  to-day  are,  doubtless,  much 
the  same  as  those  amidst  which  he  played  as  a  child  and 
lived   as   a  man;  vines   shadincj   the    walls;    doves   sunninir 


INTERIOR    OF    A     PEASANT'S    HOUSE. 


themselves  on  the  flat  roofs;  the  arrangements  within  as 
simple  as  they  are  unpretentious  without.  A  few  mats  on 
the  floor;  a  built  seat  running  along  the  wall  spread  with 
some  modest  cushions  aiid  the  bright  quilts  on  which  the  in- 
mates sleep  at  night,  and  serving  by  day  as  shelf  for  the  few 
dishes  in  common  use;  a  painted  chest  in  the  corner  ;  some 
large  clay  water  jars,  their  mouths  filled,  perhaps,  Avith 
some  sweet  herbs  to  keep  the  contents  cool  and  fresh;  the 
only  light  that  entered,  by  the  open  door;  a  low,  round, 
])ainted  wooden  stool,  brought  at  meals  into  the  middle  of 
the  room  to  hold  the  tray  and  dish,  round  which  the  house- 
hold sat,  with  crossed  knees,  on  mats,  supply  the  picture  of 

44 


From  Birth  of  Christ  to  Beginning  of  Ministry 

a  house  at  Nazareth  of  the  humbler  type."  '  He  must  have 
read  the  Old  Testament  again  and  again,  until  its  great  truths 
became  a  part  of  his  deepest  life.  And  then  he  was  often, 
we  may  believe,  upon  those  hills  about  Nazareth,  looking 
into  the  peaceful  valleys  and  toward  those  glorious  mountain 
peaks  which  seemed  to  tell  him  so  much  of  God.^  But  he 
was  no  day  dreamer,  no  idler.  He  worked  faithfully  in 
Joseph's  shop,  learning  the  most  valuable  lessons  while  mend- 
mg  a  neighbor's  plow  or  helping  to  build  a  village  house. 
From  such  a  life,  with  its  leisure  and  its  toil,  with  its  sim- 
plicity and  its  sublimity,  he  goes  out  to  preach  to  all  who 
will  hearliim  the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom. 

'  Geikie,   Life  of  Christ. 

^  "Across  Esdraelon,  opposite  to  Nazareth,  there  emerged  from  the  Samaritan  hills 
the  road  from  Jerus;ilem,  thronged  annually  with  pilgrims,  and  the  road  from  Egypt, 
with  its  merchants  going  up  and  down.  The  IMidianite  caravans  could  be  watched  for 
miles  coming  up  from  the  fords  of  Jordan;  and  the  caravans  from  Damascus  wound 
round  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  Nazareth  stands.  Or,  if  the  village  boys  climbed  the 
northern  edge  of  their  hollow  home,  there  was  another  road  within  sight,  where  the 
companies  were  still  more  brilliant — the  highway  between  Acre  and  Damascus,  along 
which  legions  marched  and  princes  swept  with  their  retinues  and  all  sorts  of  travelers 
from  all  countries  went  to  and  fro." — George  Adam  Smith,  The  Historical  Geography 
of  the  Holy  Land. 

4  45 


Skitch  Map 

HOST  TMU'S  MmiSTM 


First  Year's  Ministry 


CHAPTER  III. 

First  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  December,  A.  D.  27. 

Itinerary  on  Map. — Nazareth  to  Jordan — VVildeniess — Cana — 
Capernaum — Jerusalem — Cana  through  Judea  and  Galilee — 
Nazareth — Capernaum — Circuit  through  Galilee— Capernaum. 

FROM  NAZARETH  TO  THE  JORDAN. 

Baptism  of  Jesus, '   .         .         .         Matt,  iii,  13-17;  Mark  i,  9-11;  Luke  iii,  21,  22. 

THE  route  which  Jesus  chose  to  the  Jordan  is  not  known, 
though  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  crossed  to  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  just  south  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  followed  it 
down  to  the  place  where  John  was  baptizing.  According  to 
the  gospel  of  John  (i,  28)  the  scene  of  the  baptism  was  Beth- 
abara,  or  Bethany  (not  the  Bethany  east  of  Jerusalem),  but 
there  is  no  means  of  knowing  its  exact  location.  Al- 
most every  conceivable  opinion  is  held  by  one  or  more 
scholars.  The  majority  place  it  just  north  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  almost  directly  east  of  Jericho.  "  The  place  (five 
miles  northeast  of  Jericho)  was  known  as  Bethabara  (Beth- 
any), '  the  house  of  the  ford.'  Fords  do  not  change  in 
a  river  like  the  Jordan;  roads  are  never  altered  in  the  East; 
and  this  must  always  have  been,  as  it  is  now,  the  place  of 
passage  from  Jericho  to  Gilead. 

"  This  was  the  ordinary  place  of  passage  for  those  who 
traveled  from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem  by  the  Jordan  route. 
Here  our   Lord  often    crossed   with    his  disciples  when    he 


1  The  passover  which  our  Lord  attended  this  year  (A.  D.  27)  fell  on  April  g.  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that  his  baptism  could  not  have  been  much  earlier  than  January. 
The  point,  liowever,  is  scarcely  worthy  of  discussion,  particularly  as  no  one  has  scarcely 
anything  more  than  conjecture  on  which  to  base  an  opinion  regarding  the  chronology  of 
our  Lord's  life.  The  writer  has  no  desire  to  discuss,  even  if  he  were  qualified  for  such 
a  task,  the  respective  merits  of  the  "  tripaschal  "  and  "  quatripaschal  "  theories.  Per- 
sonally he  accepts  the  scheme  which  makes  the  ministry  of  Christ  between  three  and 
four  years  in  length.  For  the  order  of  events,  especially  the  opening  ministry,  Stevens's 
and  Burton's  Analytical  Outline,  as  representing  the  views  of  the  majority  of  biblical 
writers  and  scholars,  is  closely  followed.  As  to  dates,  Andrews  is  believed  to  represent 
as  reliable  a  classification  as  any,  though  he  is  not  regarded  as  by  any  means  infallible. 

47 


In  His  Footsteps 

would  avoid  passing  through  Samaria  on  his  way  to  the  tem- 
ple festivals  at  Jerusalem."  '  The  route  from  Nazareth  fol- 
lowing the  Jordan  is  not  unpleasant.  The  valley  of  the  Jor- 
dan, from  the  Sea  of  Galilee  to  the  Dead  Sea,  is  from  six 
hundred  and  fifty  to  thirteen  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of 
the  Mediterranean.  "  It  is  filled  up  to  a  certain  level  with 
alluvial  deposit,  forming  what  is  often  called  the  '  upper 
plain  '  of  the  Jordan  valley  ;  and  in  this  the  river  has  hollowed 
out  for  itself  during  the  course  of  long  ages  a  'lower  plain,' 
varying  in  width  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile,  and  from 


feilfetx 


THE    JORDAN — WHERE    JOHN     BAPTIZED. 


fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  below  the  general  level  of  the  valley." ' 
In  Christ's  time  this  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan  had  a  much 
larger  po|)ulation  than  now.  Christ  was  going  down  to  meet 
John,  by  whom  he  would  be  baptized.  "  On  ba])tism,  in  it- 
self, he  put  no  mysterious  sacramental  value.  It  was  only 
water,  a  mere  emblem  of  the  purification  required  in  the 
heart  and  life,  and  needed  an  after  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  No  one  could  receive  it  until  he  had  proved  his  sin- 
cerity by  an  humble  confession  of  his  sins.    Baptism  then  be- 


^  Tristram.         *  Wilson. 


48 


First  Year's  Ministry 

came  a  moral  vow,  to  show,  by  a  better  life,  that  the  change 
of  heart  was  genuine."  ' 


FROM    THE   JORDAN    TO    THE    WILDERNESS. 
Temptation  of  Jesus,     .         .        .       Matt,  iv,  i-ii;  Mark  i,  12,  13;  Luke  iv,  1-13. 

The  scene  of  the  Lord's  icmptation  was  in  the  wilderness 
of  Judea.  Some,  with  Stanley,  believe  the  "  wilderness  "  re- 
ferred to  was  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan;  others  hold, 
with  Pressense,  that  it  was  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  "  Those  denuded  rocks,  that  reddened  soil  scorched 
by  a  burning  sun,  that  sulphurous  sea  stretching  like  a  shroud 


THE   WILDERNESS    OF   JUDEA. 

over  the  accursed  cities,  all  this  land  of  death,  mute  and  mo- 
tionless as  the  grave,  formed  a  fitting  scene  for  the  decisive 
conflict  of  the  Man  of  Sorrows."  Still  others  will  agree  with 
Porter,  that  the  temptation  took  place  just  west  of  Jericho. 
"  No  man  who  stands  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan  at  Jericho 

•  Geikie,    Li/c  0/ Christ. 

49 


In  His  Footsteps 

could  doubt  for  a  moment  where  that  wilderness  is.  He  has 
only  to  lift  up  his  eyes  and  look  westward,  and  it  is  before 
him.  .  .  .  The  wilderness  of  Judea,  including  the  whole 
of  that  wild  region  lying  between  Jericho  and  Jerusalem,  was 
unquestionably  the  scene  of  the  temptation."  This  is  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  traditional  belief,  and  may  be  accepted 
until  there  is  more  evidence  than  mere  opinion  to  disj^rove 
it.  "A  bare,  white  plain,  with  two  or  three  narrow  strips  of 
verdure,  extends  about  six  miles  from  the  west  bank  of  the 
river.  On  its  farther  side  rises  up  a  ridge  of  white  limestone 
cliffs,  extending  north  and  south  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see, 
and  supporting  a  chain  of  jagged,  rocky  hills  behind,  equally 
white  and  bare.  A  more  dreary,  desolate,  and  forbidding 
landscape  the  world  could  not  furnish."  Surrounded  thus, 
does  it  not  seem  that  our  Lord  was  most  severely  tried  .'*  To 
us  everything  would  have  seemed  as  though  we  had  been 
abandoned  of  God. 

FROM    THE    WILDERNESS    TO    CANA,   BY    WAY   OF    THE    JORDAN. 

Testimony  of  John  the  Baptist, John  i,  29-36. 

Choice  of  five  disciples, John  i,  37-51. 

The  marriage  feast  at  Cana, John  ii,  1-1 1. 

After  his  temptation  the  1-ord  returned  from  the  wilderness 
to  the  Jordan,  probably  at  the  same  place  where  he  had  been 
baptized.  We  therefore  retrace  our  steps,  crossing  to  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  and  imagine  as  we  come  up  on  the  other 
side  hearing  the  voice  of  the  great  prophet  as  he  says  of  Jesus, 
"  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world."  Two  of  the  Baptist's  disciples,  Andrew  and  prob- 
ably John,  the  author  of  one  of  the  gospels,  hearing  these 
words,  follow  Jesus.  The  next  day  Simon  Peter  becomes  a 
disciple,  and  the  day  following  Philip,  a  townsman  of  Andrew 
and  Peter,  is  brought  to  Christ.  Philip  finds  Nathanael, 
a  resident  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  says  to  him,  "We  have 
found  him,  of  whom  IMoses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets 
did  write."  The  Lord  is  on  his  way  north  to  Cana.  His 
probable  route  was  the  road  east  of  the  Jordan,  by  which  we 
came  south  following  him  to  his  baptism. 

There  are  now  two  Canas  in  Galilee,  Kanet  (or  Kana)  el 
Jelil,  situated  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Nazareth,  and  Kefr 
Kenna,  four  miles  northeast.  Most  authorities  agree  that  Kefr 
Kenna  is  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Cana,  and  there  we  shall 

50 


First  Year's  Ministry 

go.  It  lies  in  a  small  valley  on  the  edge  of  a  plain.  "  At  the 
entrance  of  the  village  is  a  fountain  made  out  of  an  ancient 
sarcophagus,  which  the  inhabitants  show  as  the  fountain  from 
which  the  waterpots  were  filled."' 

Our  stay  in  the  country  will  have,  to  some  extent,  prepared 
us  to  understand  the  nature  of  that  marriage  feast  at  Cana. 
To-day,  among  the  Mohammedans,  after  the  marriage  con- 
tract is  arranged,  and  "  before  the  wedding,  the  bride  is  con- 
ducted in  gala  attire  and  with  great  ceremony  to  the  bath. 
This  procession  is  called  '  zeffet  el-hammam.'  It  is  headed  by 
several  musicians  with  hautbois  and  drums  of  various  kinds; 
these  are  followed  by  several  married  friends  and  relatives  of 
the  bride  in  pairs,  and  after  these  come  a  number  of  young 
girls.  The  bride  is  entirely  concealed  by  the  clothing  she 
wears,  being  usually  enveloped  from  head  to  foot  in  a  cash- 
mere shawl,  and  wearing  on  her  head  a  small  cap  or  crown  of 
pasteboard.  The  procession  moves  very  slowly,  and  another 
body  of  musicians  bring  up  the  rear.'"  It  is  very  sugges- 
tive of  the  spirit  with  which  our  Lord  began  his  work  that  his 
first  recorded  miracle  is  at  a  wedding,  thus  indorsing  marriage 
and  justifying  the  innocent  joy  that  accompanied  it. 

FROM    CANA    TO    CAPERNAUM. 

John  ii,  12. 

Why  Jesus  went  to  Capernaum  at  this  time  we  do  not  know. 
Some  think  that  his  family  had  removed  therefrom  Nazareth. 
Possiblv  he  visited  it  on  the  invitation  of  Peter  and  Andrew, 
"who  seem  now  to  have  resided  there."  Of  one  motive  that 
led  him  to  make  the  trip  we  need  have  no  doubt.  Coming  to 
save  sinners  he  would  naturally  go  where  men  and  women 
were  congregated  in  large  cities.  Capernaum  was  not  far  from 
Cana,  seventeen  miles  in  a  straight  line,  or abouttwenty by  the 
usual  road.  As  we  see  it  now  it  is  a  vast  ruin,  but  in  the 
Lord's  day  it  was  a  stirring  town  "of  fisher  people,  grain  and 
fruit  agents,  local  tradesmen,  and  the  many  classes  and  occu- 
pations of  a  thriving  station  on  a  great  line  of  caravan  traiific. 
The  daily  business  of  Capernaum  itself  supplied  many  of  the 
illustrations  so  frequently  introduced  into  the  discourses  of 
Jesus.  He  might  see  in  the  bazaar  of  the  town,  or  on  the  street, 
the  rich  traveling  merchant,  who  exchanged  a  heavy  load  of 

•Andrews,  Life  of  Our  Lord.  2  Baedeker,  Palestine  and  Syria. 

51 


In  His  Footsteps 

Babylonian  carpets  for  the  one  lustrous  pearl  that  had,  per- 
haps, found  its  way  to  the  lake  (the  Sea  of  Galilee)  from  dis- 
tant Ceylon.  Fishermen  and  publicans  and  dressers  of  vine- 
yards passed  and  repassed  each  moment.  It  was  this  town, 
on  the  border  between  the  districts  of  Philip  and  Antipas,  by 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  in  the  midst  of  thickly  sown  towns  and 
villages,  that  Jesus    selected  as  his  future   home."  '     Much 


<^^^ 


RUINS    OF    CAPERNAUM. 


of  that  life  is  suggested  by  what  we  see  to-day  on  and  around 
the  Sea  of  Galilee  :  "  The  casting  of  nets  ;  the  abundant  supply 
of  fish  ;  the  scattered  flocks  ;  the  sheep  which  follow  the  good 
shepherd  ;  the  lilies  of  the  field  in  abundance  ;  the  sea,  often 
tempestuous,  and  all  the  old-time  natural  surroundings.""'' 
But  the  glory  of  those  early  days  has  all  dc])arted.  The  fields 
are  not  tilled,  the  thriving  towns  and  cities  have  degenerated 
into  squalid  villages,  the  inhabitants  seem  to  liave  no  ambition 
for  anything  except  a  bare  existence.  The  only  attraction  is 
the  memories  of  Jesus. 

'  Oeikie,  /.//(•  of  Christ . 

'Edward  L.  Wilson,   Tlie  Sea  of  Galilee.     Century  Magazine  for  December,  1887. 

52 


First  Year's  Ministry 


FROM   CAPERNAUM   TO   JERUSALEM,    APRIL,   A.  D.   27. 


First  cleansing  of  the  temple. 
Performs  ni;.iiy  miracles, 
Visited  by  Nicodemus, 


Juhii  ii,  14-22. 
Jofiii  ii,  23-25. 
John  iii,  1-21. 


The  time  for  the  annual  passover  is  at  hand,  andjesus,  with 
liis  disciples,  goes  up  to  Jerusalem.  We  assume  that  he  took 
the  same  road  on  which,  it  is  believed  he  walked  as  a  boy  of 
twelve.  It  is  again  the  month  of  April,  the  most  charming 
season  of  all  the  year  in  Palestine.  Should  we  be  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  follow  our  Lord's  footsteps  southward  in  that  month 
we  should  see,  as  Jesus  did,  "the  plains  covered  with  rich 


HEROD  S    TEMPLE. 


green,  and  the  gray  hills  lit  up  with  red  anemones,  rock  roses, 
red  and  yellow,  the  convolvulus,  marigold,  wild  geranium,  red 
tulip,  and  a  hundred  other  glories."  As  Jesus  approached 
Jerusalem  he  would  see  the  hills  covered  with  the  multitudes 
pressing  their  way  toward  the  city.  He  himself  crowded  his 
way  with  his  Galilean  friends  toward  the  temple.  His  visit 
there  as  a  boy  of  twelve  would  be  fresh  in  his  mind.  Now  he 
is  a  man  almost  thirty,  with  more  than  a  man's  work  to  do. 
What  does  he  find  in  the  temple,  which  nearly  eighteen  years 
before  he  had  referred  to  as  his  "  father's  house  ?  "  "  There, 
in  the  actual  court  of  the  Gentiles,  were  penned  whole  flocks 
of  sheep  and  oxen,  while  the  drovers  and  pilgrims  stood  bar- 

53 


In  His  Footsteps 

tering  and  bargaining  around  them.  There  were  the  men  with 
the  great  wicker  cages  filled  with  doves,  and  under  the  shadow 
of  the  arcades,  formed  by  quadruple  rows  of  Corinthian 
columns,  sat  the  money  changers,  with  their  tables  covered  with 
piles  of  various  small  coins.  And  this  was  the  entrance  couit 
to  the  temple  of  the  Most  High  !  The  court  which  was  a  wit- 
ness that  that  house  should  be  a  house  of  prayer  of  all  nations 
had  been  degraded  into  a  place  which,  for  foulness,  was  more 
like  shambles,  and  for  bustling  commerce  more  like  a  busy 
crowded  bazaar  ;  while  the  lowing  of  oxen,  the  bleating  of 
sheep,  the  babel  of  many  languages,  the  huckstering  and 
wrangling,  and  the  clinking  of  money  and  of  balances  (per- 
hajxs  not  always  just)  might  be  heard  in  the  adjoining  court, 
disturbing  the  chant  of  the  Levites  and  the  prayer  of 
priests."'  "Entering  the  polluted  temple  space,  and  gaz- 
ing round  on  the  tumult  and  manifold  defilements,  he  could 
not  remain  impassive.  Hastily  tying  together  some  small  cords, 
and  advancing  to  the  sellers  of  sheep  and  oxen,  he  commanded 
them  to  leave  the  temple,  with  their  proj^erty,  at  once,  and 
drove  them  and  their  beasts  out  of  the  gates.  The  sellers  of 
doves  were  allowed  to  take  their  cages  away,  but  they,  too, 
had  to  leave.  The  money  changers  fared  worse,  as  they 
deserved.  Their  tables  were  overturned,  and  they  themselves 
expelled.  After  long  years  the  temple  was  once  more  sacred 
to  God."  ^'  ^ 

On  these  streets  the  Lord  performed  his  many  miracles. 
In  some  quiet  corner  Nicodemus  had  his  interview  with 
Jesus,  and  learned  what  were  the  necessary  conditions  for 
gaining  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

FROM   JERUSALEM  JESUS    DEPARTS  INTO  JUDEA,   AND    THENCE 
TO  GALILEE  THROUGH  SAMARIA. 

Baptizes  in  Judea  (through  his  disciples),  .         .         .  John  iii,  22. 

Leaves  JiiJca,         .........  Jolin  iv,  1-4. 

At  Jacob's  well,     . John  iv,  5  26. 

Ill  Syclinr,  .........  John  iv,  27-42. 

Arriv:il  in  Galilee,  ........  Luke  iv,  14. 

How  long  Jesus  was  in  Judea  at  this  i)articular  time,  and 
what  points  he  visited,  we  have  no  means  of  knowing.    Some 

'  Farrar,  Life  0/ Jesus  Christ.  "  (.eikie.  Life  0/  Christ. 

^  The  expulsion  of  the  money  changers  cannot  but  he  deeply  interesting  to  young  peo- 
ple, and  may  be  used  as  an  opportunity  for  imparting  many  valu.able  lessons.     Questions 

54 


First  Year's  iviinistry 


think  tliat  he  went  to  the  Jordan;  others  believe  that  "he 
went  from  place  to  place  baptizing  wherever  he  found  water, 
and    that    he    visited    in  southern    Judea,  Hebron, 

and  the  chief  cities,  go-  y<^m^K  ^^^S  ^^  ^'^''  ^outli  as  Beer- 
sheba."  Still  otiiers  /^^^^  \  '""old  to  the  opinion 
that  his  work   was        ^^r  \.       i"  ^'^^  northern  part 

of   Judea.        He        ,^^  ^\       '^''^^y   have    been 

atVVadyFarah,       /^^  \        some  six  miles 

northeast  of        y^  \         Jerusalem, 

where     is        /#"  \^        abundant 

water.        //  "\  In    the 


a  bs  ence 

definite      ^ 

tion    we    may 

Jesus      kept 

the     north,     grad- 

Samaria  by   the   road 

to     us     as     the     shoit 

relh and  Jerusalem.'    The 

the  summer,   or   early   in   autumn. 


of     any 
inform  a- 
assume    that 
working  toward 
ually  approaching 
already    familiar 
route   between   Naza- 
time  is   probably  late  in 
He   is   approaching   the 


ancient   town   of  Shechem.    We  see  to-day  not  Shechem,  but 

like  the  following  will  bring  out  the  most  essential  Inilhs  :  Is  it  wrong  to  collect  money 
ill  the  Lord's  honse  for  any  purpose?  What  kind  of  people  were  engaged  in  this  huck- 
stering ?  For  whose  advantage  were  they  so  engaged  ?  Is  it  ever  right  to  buy  and  sell 
merely  for  private  gain  >  What  does  Christ's  act  in  cleansing  the  temple  reveal  of  his 
physical  strength  ?  of  his  spiritual  zeal?  Who  are  the  strongest,  the  physically  or  the 
morally  strong  ? 

'  It  has  already  been  noted  that  the  Jews  usually  preferred  the  roundabout  way  on  the 
east  of  the  Jordan  so  as  to  avoid  the  hated  Samaritans. 

55 


In  His  Footsteps 

Nabulus.  "  Luxuriant  gardens,  richly  watered,  girdle  it  round 
outside  its  old  dilapidated  walls,  whose  gates,  hanging  off  their 
hinges,  are  an  emblem  of  all  things  else  in  this  day  in  Pales- 
tine." ..."  But  before  Jesus  came  to  the  town  he  halted  for 
a  time  to  rest.  Close  under  the  eastern  foot  of  Mount  Gerizim, 
at  the  opening  of  the  side  valley  from  the  wide  plain,  on  a 
slight  knoll,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town,  surrounded  now 
by  stones  and  broken  pillars,  is  Jacob's  well."  '  All  agree  that 
this  is  the  identical  well  on  whose  edge  the  Lord  sat  while 
he  talked  to  the  "  woman  of  Samaria  "  of  the  water  of  life. 
The  woman  came  not  from  Shechem  (Nabulus),  but  Sychar, 
"which  is  iKobably  identical  with  the  modern  Asker."  The 
woman  came  about  the  noon  hour  with  a  water  jar  upon 
her  head,  and  "a  long  cord  in  her  hand  with  which  to  let  the 
jar  down  the  well."  This  well  must  have  been  noted  for  its 
good  water  in  Christ's  day,  for  it  was  then  very  deep.  Even 
to-day  it  is  seventy-five  feet  in  depth.  "To  get  at  the  mouth  of 
the  well  one  must  be  let  down  into  the  vault  that  has  been  built 
over  it." 

There  is  not  much  left  of  Asker,  the  ancient  Sychar,  where 
the  woman  lived.  There  are  some  rock  tombs  and  a  spring. 
When  Christ  visited  the  town  it  was  evidently  a  thriving 
village. 

On  his  arrival  in  Galilee  Jesus  is  cordially  received  by  the 
people  on  account  of  his  labors  in  Judea. 

THROUGH    GALILEE    TO    CANA. 
Heals  the  no'.jIeiiiairs  son, .         Luke  iv,  46-54. 

The  Lord  may  have  hastily  passed  through  Nazareth  on 
his  way  north,  though  it  is  not  probable.  The  report  of  his 
coming  to  Cana  has  preceded  him,  and  finally  reaches  the 
ear  of  a  nobleman  in  Capernaum — perhaps  Herod's  steward, 
Chuza — whose  son  is  lying  at  the  point  of  death.  Palace  walls 
cannot  keep  out  God's  messengers  of  warning,  neither  can 
they  ]:)revent  Christ's  blessed  influences  reaching  the  remotest 
cf)rner. 

FROM    CANA    TO    NAZARETH,   A.   D.   28. 
Rejected,        ...........         Luke  iv,  16- jo. 

It  is  believed  by  some,  whose  ability  and  scholarshii)  are 
unquestioned,  that  Jesus,  after  living  a   short  time  in  retire- 

.    ^  GsWxn,  Life  0/ Chris/. 

56 


First  Year's  Ministry 

ment,  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  afterward  returned  to  Naz- 
areth. The  majority  of  writers,  however,  agree  that  he  went 
to  Nazareth  immediately  after  healing  the  son  of  the  noble- 
man at  Capernaum. 

The  road  from  Cana  to  Nazareth  is  very  familiar  to  us  now, 
as  it  evidently  was  to  Jesus.  He  wanted  his  neighbors  to 
receive  him  as  the  Messiah,  but  they  would  not  admit  his 
claims.  To  them  he  was  only  the  son  of  the  carpenter.  On 
a  certain  Sabbath  he  went  into  a  synagogue,  "as  his  custom 
was."     Jesus  never  neglected  the  house  of  worship.' 

In  our  wanderings  about  Nazareth  we  shall  see  the  "  Mount 
of  Precipitation,"  from  which  it  is  popularly  believed  the  in- 
habitants of  Nazareth  tried  to  cast  our  Lord. 

FROM  NAZARETH  TO  CAPERNAUM. 

Theji.urney Matt,  iv,  13-16  ;   Euke  iv,  31. 

Selects  four  apostles,  .         .      Matt,  iv,  18-22  ;  INIark  i,  16-20  ;   I.uke  v,  i-ii. 

A  day  of  miracles,       .         .         Matt,  viii,  14-17  ;  Alark  i,  21-34  ;  L^-ke  iv,  31-41. 

From  Nazareth  the  Lord,  rejected  by  those  of  "his  own 
city,"  goes  down  to  Cajiernaum,  i)assing  Cana  on  the  way. 
From  this  time  on,  for  a  considerable  period,  Capernaum  be- 
comes his  headquarters.  The  present  village  of  Tell  Hum 
and  its  surroundings  are  all  that  mark  the  Capernaum  of  our 
Lord.  "  The  place  consists  of  a  dozen  miserable  huts.  There 
are  a  number  of  black  ruins  in  the  center"  of  which  we  can 
trace  the  remains  of  a  beautiful  ancient  building  resembling 
marble.  Some  think  these  are  the  ruins  of  the  synagogue 
standing  in  Christ's  day. 

The  call  to  "Follow  me,"  given  to  Andrew  and  Peter, 
James  and  John,  at  the  Jordan  was  the  call  to  discipleship. 
That  is  now  followed  by  the  summons  to  become  the  founda- 
tion stones  of  "  the  kingdom."  These  men  were  fishers. 
Boats,  nets,  the  lake  had  been  familiar  to  them  from  child- 
hood. 

How  blessed  a  Sabbath  to  the  large  number  who  were 
healed  in  Capernaum  !  Christ's  Sabbath  day  activity  shames 
our  indolence!  The  one  day  in  the  week  best  adapted  for 
reaching  the  souls  of  men  the  average  Christian  almost  wholly 
wastes,  imagining  that  if  he  does  no  positive  harm  he  is  keep- 
ing the  Sabbath  day  holy. 

•  Visit  a  synagogue  the  next  time  you  are  in  a  city  and  jjersuade  some  intelligent  Jew 
to  explain  the  differences  between  Jewish  customs  now  and  in  early  days. 

57 


In  His  Footsteps 

Peter  had  a  house  in  Capernaum,  and  it  was  a  favorite 
resort  of  Jesus  and  his  immediate  followers.  It  probably 
resembled  many  of  the  houses  we  now  see  in  our  travels  in 
Palestine — bare  walls,  earthen  floor,  no  windows,  fireplaces 
and  chimneys  unknown,  as  "the  floor  serves  for  chairs  and 
table,  and  a  mat  on  it  for  a  bed.  The  flat  roofs,  reached  by  a 
coarsely  made  stair  at  the  side,  have  their  clay  dovecotes,  and 
serve  at  some  seasons  as  cool  sleeping  places,  shelters  of  boughs 
being  set  up  to  keep  off  the  night  winds  and  the  moonshine. 

FROM    CAPERNAUM   JESUS   MAKES    A   CIRCUIT    TO    THE    "  NEXT 
TOWNS,"    RETURNING    TO    CAPERNAUM. 
Matt,  viii,  2-4.     Mark  i,  35-45.     Luke  iv,  42-44 ;  v,  12-16. 

Among  the  towns  which  the  Lord  visited  were  doubtless 
those  nearest  Capernaum — Chorazin  and  Bethsaida — though 
he  probably  passed  through  many  others.  On  this  journey 
he  performed  many  miracles,  but  the  only  one  recorded  is 
the  healing  of  a  leper.  His  name  was  now  in  everyone's 
mouth,  great  crowds  following  him  from  place  to  place.  On 
our  trip  through  Galilee  to-day  we  see  scarcely  anything  to 
remind  us  of  the  times  of  Christ  except  the  earth  and  sky. 
Going  north  from  Capernaum  we  pass  over  a  succession  of 
ruins,  volcanic  rocks  and  lava,  which  many  think  mark  the 
sites  of  the  ancient  cities  of  Chorazin  and  Bethsaida.  It  is 
anything  but  easy  this  journey  through  Galilee,  but  it  was  no 
less  difficult  for  Jesus.  He  could  restore  a  wrecked  manhood 
in  the  person  of  the  leper  seeking  his  help,'  but  who  will  re- 
store these  ruined  cities .-'  Only  a  people  touched  with  the 
spirit  of  Christianity — the  spirit  of  hope  and  energy  and 
determination. 

AT   CAPERNAUM,    FOLLOWING   CIRCUIT    THROUGH    GALILEE. 

Heals  the  paralytic,     .         .         .         Matt.  i.\,  2-8  ;  Mark  ii,  1-12  ;  Luke  v,  17-26. 
Calls  Levi  (Matthew), Mark  ii,  13-17  ;   Luke  v,  27-32. 

Back  again  in  Capernaum  with  its  ruins!  What  seems  to 
us  in  America  a  very  hard,  almost  an  impossible,  thing  appears 
very  easy  in  Palestine,  namely,  the  uncovering  of  a  roof.  It 
is  "only  a  few  feet  high,  and  by  stooping  down  and  holding 
the  corners  of  the  couch — merely  a  thickly-padded  quilt,  as 
at  present  in  this  region — they  could  let  down  the  sick  man 

•  See  any  Bible  Dictionary  for  a  description  of  leprosy. 

58 


First  Year's  Ministry 

without  any  apparatus  of  ropes  or  cords  to  assist  them.  And 
thus,  I  suppose,  they  did.  The  whole  affair  was  the  extem- 
poraneous device  of  plain  peasants,  accustomed  to  open  their 


EASTERN     HOUSE— SHOWING     FLAT     ROOF     AND 
COURT- YARD. 


roofs  and  let  down  grain,  straw,  and  other  articles,  as  they 
still  do  in  this  country."  ' 

Just  outside  the  city  there  was,  in  the  Lord's  time,  a  "re- 
ceipt of  customs,"  where  a  representative  of  the  Roman  gov- 
ernment received  taxes.  The  Jews  were  very  bitter  against 
Rome,  and  especially  hated  the  tax.  He  who  collected  this 
"  custom  "  Avas  called  a  publican,  and  if  he  chanced  to  be  a 
Jew  he  was  more  despised  by  his  countrymen  than  if  he  were 
a  citizen  of  Rome.  Such  a  man  was  Levi  (or  Matthew),  yet 
the  Lord  called  him  to  be  his  follower  ;  for  Jesus  does  not 
regard  our  outward  appearance  or  our  employment,  but  only 
our  hearts. 

»  W.  U.  Thomson,  The  Land  and  the  Book. 

59 


Second  Year's  Ministry 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Second  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  December,  A.  D.  28. 

Itinerary  on  map. — Capernaum — Jerusalem — Return  to  Galilee 
and  the  Sea  — Mount  of  Beatitudes — Capernaum — Nain^Caper- 
nauni — Circuit  of  Galilee,  returning  to  Capernaum — Across  the 
Lake  to  Gersa — Return  to  Capernaum. 

FROM   CAPERNAUM    TO   JERUSALEM.' 

Heals  an  in  firm  manat  Pool  of  Bethesda, John  v,  1-16. 

Replies  to  the  Jews,        .........         John  v,  17-47. 

ANOTHER  journey  southward  througli  a  country  very 
familiar  to  us  now.  There  is  much  doubt  where  the 
"  Pool  of  Bethesda "  was  located,  though  modern  ex- 
cavations seem  to  place  it  "a  little  northwest  of  the  Church  of 
St.  Anne,  and  not  far  from  the  present  St.  Stephen's  Gate." 
This  gate  is  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city  opening  to  the 
Via  Dold'osa,  or  street  of  pain,  "  the  route  by  which  Christ  is 
said  to  have  borne  his  cross  to  Golgotha."  On  the  right,  as 
we  enter,  right  by  the  gate,  is  St.  Anne's  Church.  The  ground 
on  which  this  church  stands  was  presented  to  Napoleon  HI 
by  the  Sultan  Abdul  Mejid  at  the  close  of  the  Crimean  war. 
The  reservoir  or  pool,  formerly  known  as  the  Pool  of  Be- 
thesda, whose  waters  were  thought  to  heal  diseases,  is  cut  thirty 
feet  into  the  solid  rock.  "There  were  twenty-four  steps 
originally  cut  in  the  rock,  and  thus  it  would  be  very  difficult 
to  get  down  to  the  water." 

FROM   JERUSALEM    TO   GALILEE. 

The  disciples  pluck  grain,  arousing 

the  hostility  of  the  Pharisees,  .  Matt,  xii,  1-8  ;  !\L-trk  ii,  23-28:  Luke  vi,  1-5. 
Jesus  cures  the  man  with  the 

withered  hand,    .         .         .  Malt.  11,9-14;  Mark  iii,  1-6  ;  Luke  vi,  6-ii. 

The  Lord  was  so  much  opposed  in  Jerusalem  that  he  con- 
cluded to  return  to  Galilee.     Doubtless   he  took  the  familiar 


1  As  before  stated,  there  is  no  unanimity  amonK  scholars  as  to  the  time  when  Jesus 
made  this  journey  to  Jerusalem.  If  we  knew  what  feast  this  was  which  Jesus  attended — 
Purim,  Pentecost,  Passover,  Tabernacles,  Day  of  Atonement,  Trumpets,  or  Woodgather- 

5  61 


In  His  Footsteps 

road  to  the  north.  On  a  certain  Sabbath — at  what  place  in 
Galilee  we  do  not  know— as  they  were  walking  along,  fields  on 
both  sides  of  them  and  no  fences,  the  disciples,  being  hungry, 
began  to  pluck  a  few  heads  of-  wheat  which  they  rubbed  in 
their  hands  to  separate  the  kernels  from  the  chaff.  We  might 
do  the  very  same  thing  to-day,  and  nothing  would  be  thouglit 
of  it.  The  Pharisees  did  not  object  to  the  disciples  taking 
the  wheat,  for  that  was  allowable,  but  to  the  rubbing  of  the 
heads.  To  do  tliat  was  equal  to  threshing,  so  the  Pharisees 
believed  or  pretended  to  believe.  Jesus  showed  them  their 
great  mistake.  It  was  not  wrong  to  take  and  prepare  food  on 
the  Sabbath.  Besides,  he  was  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  day. 
How  earnestly  he  must  have  studied  the  Scrii:itures  to  speak 
so  clearly  of  David  and  of  the  temple  and  its  service  ! 

The  higher  lesson  of  the  Sabbath  Christ  teaches  in  the 
healing  of  the  man  with  the  withered  hand.  What  is  the 
Sabbath  for  ?  It  is  a  day  of  rest ;  but  it  is  also  a  day  of  op- 
portunity for  doing  the  greatest  good,  not  for  quibbling  over 
technicalities.  The  Pharisees  were  always  thinking  about  what 
they  could  not  do.  Christ  came  to  show  us  how  much  we 
can  do  if  we  have  his  spirit.  The  healing  is  done  in  the 
synagogue,  the  house  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God.  Our 
frequent  visits  to  the  temple  and  synagogue,  following  our 
Lord's  footsteps,  ought  to  impress  us  deeply  with  the  Saviour's 
regard  for  the  house  of  prayer. 


CROSSING    THROUGH    GALILEE    JESUS  GOES  TO   THE  SEA — 

GREAT    MULTITUDES   FOLLOWING   HIM. 

Matt,  iv,  23-25  ;  xii,  15-21  ;  Mark  iii,  7-12. 

As  we  pass  through  Galilee  we  are  struck  with  the 
great  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the  character  and 
number  of  the  population  since  the  day  when  the  multitudes 
from  all  the  towns  and  provinces  surrounding  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  eagerly  sought  after  Jesus  to  hear  him  and  see  his 
mighty  works.  Then  there  were  numerous  towns  in  Galilee, 
the  smallest,  according  to  Josephus,  numbering  not  less  than 
fifteen   thousand  people.     The  Lake  of  Galilee  was  covered 

ing — we  should  not  find  much  trouble  in  settling  the  other  questions  involved.  But  the 
gospels  do  not  say  which  of  the  numerous  feasts  it  was.  Alost  recent  writers  believe  it 
was  the  passover.and  so  make  the  Lord's  ministry  nearer  four  than  two  years.  Andrews, 
thoush  believing  this  fe.nst  was  the  passover,  puts  the  rejection  at  Nazareth  after  the 
Lord's  return  from  this  visit  to  Jerusalem. 

62 


Second  Year's  Ministry 

with  sliips  engaged  in  fishing  and  traffic,  and  its  shores  were 
dotted  with  cities  and  villages.  To-day,  as  we  wander  along 
those  shores,  we  find  only  ruins  and  desolation. 

FROM   THE   SEA   OF   GALILEE    TO    THE    MOUNT    OF    BEATITUDES. 

Spends  the  night  in  prayer Luke  vi,  12. 

Chooses  the  twelve,  .....       ^L1^k  iii.  i^-iq  ;   Luke  vi,  13-19. 

"  Sermon  on  the  Mount,'  ....       Matt,  v,  vi,  vii  ;  Luke  vi,  20-49. 

There  is  much  difference  of  opinion  over  the  location  of 
the  mount  where  Jesus  prayed  all  night,  and  from  which  he 
afterward  delivered  the  so-called  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
Svime  think  that  all  that  can  be  legitimately  drawn  from  the 


THE  HORNS  OF  HATTIN — PROBABLE  SCENE    OF    "THE   SERMON  ON 
THE   MOUNT." 

narrative  is  that  our  Lord  went  upon  any  one  of  the  mountain 
ridges  surrounding  the  Sea  of  Galilee;  but  there  are  others, 
with  more  show  of  proof,  who  hold  that  it  was  a  particular 
mount,  and  there  is  none  which  seems  so  likely  to  be  the 
mount  as  what  is  known  as  Kuril  Hattin,  or  "Horns  of 
Hattin."  "  It  is  a  hill  with  a  summit  which  closely  resembles 
an  oriental  saddle  with  its  two  peaks."  This  hill  lies  on  the 
road  between  the  cities  of  Tiberias  and  Nazareth.  From  the 
thirteenth  century  it  has  been  known  as  the  "  Mount  of 
Beatitudes."  From  this  eminence  we  see,  looking  toward 
Nazareth,  a  broad  and  undulating  plain;  on  the  east  are 
numerous  cliffs,  and  right  below  us  lies  the  village  of  Hattin. 
Beyond  the  village  we  look  upon  a  "  wild  and  tropical  gorge," 

63 


In  His  Footsteps 

and  farther  away  the  shining  waters  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
It  was,  in  all  probability,  on  one  of  these  "  horns  "  of  the 
mount  that  Jesus  prayed  all  night,  and  to  this  place  he  called 
the  twelve,  "that  they  should 'be  with  him."  By  this  final 
choice  of  the  apostles  the  kingdom  was  established.  From 
this  spot  Jesus  descended  to  the  plain  where  the  multitude 
had  gathered,  healed  a  number  of  the  sick,  and  reascending 
gave  the  sermon,  the  twelve  being  about  him  and  the  people 
just  below  him. 

FROM   THE   MOUNT   OF    BEATITUDES   TO   CAPERNAUM. 

Crowds  following Matt,  viii,  5-13. 

Heals  the  centurion's  servant, Luke   vii,  i-io. 

His  condition  alarms  his  friends, Mark  iii   20  21. 

The  distance  from  Hattin  to  Capernaum  is  not  over  seven 
or  eight  miles.  On  his  arrival  at  Capernaum  he  is  met  by  an 
embassy  from  a  Roman  centurion,  sent  to  request  him  to 
come  and  heal  the  centurion's  sick  servant.  Among  the  things 
named  in  the  soldier's  favor  was  his  liberality  in  building  a 
synagogue  in  the  town.  It  is  possible  that  the  ruins  of  a 
synagogue  which  we  now  see  in  Tell  Hum  (Capernaum)  are 
the  remains  of  the  identical  building  erected  by  the  good 
centurion. ' 

So  earnest,  so  intense  is  the  Lord  in  his  work,  that  his  friends 
try  to  restrain  him.  They  speak  as  though  he  were  beside 
himself.  Those  whose  souls  are  not  on  fire  will  always  think 
the  deeply  earnest  are  mad. 

FROM   CAPERNAUM    TO   NAIN. 

Restores  to  life  a  wi  low's  son, Luke  vii,  11-17. 

Receives  a  message  from  John  the  Baptist,         .     Matt,  xi,  2,  3;    Luke  vii,  18-20. 

Replies  to  John, Matt,  xi,  4-6 ;    Luke  vii,  21-23. 

Addresses  the  multitude, Matt,  xi,  7-19  ;  Luke  vii,  24-35. 

Nain  is  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Capernaum,  southeast 
of  Nazareth,  and  just  off  the  Nazareth  and  Jerusalem  road,  at 
the  foot  of  a  mountain  known  as  Little  Hermon.  The  place 
now  consists  of  wretched  clay  huts  with  rock  tombs  near. 
"Nain  must  have  been  a  city  ;  the  ruined  heaps  and  traces 
of  walls  ])rove  that  it  was  of  considerable  extent,  and  a  walled 
town,  and  therefore  with  gates,  according  to  the  gospel  narra- 
tive."* If  Jesus  left  Capernaum  early  in  the  morning  he 
would  reach  Nain  early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 

'  See  Andrews,  Tristram,  Edersheim,  Colonel  Wilson,  and  others.  *  Tristram. 

64 


Second  Year's  Ministry 

To-day  we  see  in  our  journeys  through  Palestine  scenes 
similar  to  that  in  Nain  when  Jesus  visited  it.  As  soon  as 
there  is  a  death  the  body  is  immediately  washed  and  within 
a  few  hours  buried,  provided  the  interment  can  be  made 
before  sunset.  The  procession  to  the  grave  is  always  accom- 
panied with  loud  wailings.  The  bier  on  which  the  body  of 
the  young  man  was  carried  was  doubtless  "  a  mere  open  frame 
like  that  still  used  for  such  purposes  in  Palestine." 


FUNERAL    SCENE     IN     PALESTINE. 

While  at  this  little  town  of  Nain,  and  after  the  restoration 
to  life  of  this  son,  Jesus  received  John  the  Baptist's  sad  mes- 
sage asking  if  he  was  indeed  the  Christ.  Could  John  have 
followed  Jesus  with  the  twelve,  or  have  known  what  we  now 
know,  he  would  not  have  asked  that  question. 


FROM    NAIN   TO   CAPERNAUM. 


Dines  at  the  house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee, 
Parable  of  the  two  debtors,    . 


Luke  vii,  ^6-50. 
Luke  viii,  1-3. 


It   is   in   doubt  whether  the   words   recorded   by   Matthew 
(xi,  20-30)  were  spoken  at   Nain  or  later,  and  whether  Jesus 

65 


In  His  Footsteps 

returned  directly  from  Nain  to  Capernaum  or  spent  some 
time  on  the  way  teaching  in  the  various  towns  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

As  soon  as  Jesus  returned  to  Capernaum  he  was  invited  to 
the  home  of  a  Pharisee  named  Simon.  As  the  Lord  could 
not  be  anything  else  but  courteous  he  did  not  refuse  the  invita- 
tion, though  he  well  knew  that  the  Pharisee  was  more  eager 
to  see  him  than  to  love  him. 

We  can  easily  imagine  the  kind  of  a  house  to  which  Jesus 
was  invited.  "  Raised  divans  or  table  couches,  provided"  with 
cushions  and  arranged  on  three  sides  of  a  square,  supplied  a 
rest  for  guests,  and  on   these   they  lay  on  their  left  arm  with 


TOMBS     ON     THE     ROAD     TO     NAIN. 


their  feet  at  ease  behind  them,  outside.  A  kiss  on  the  cheek 
from  the  master  of  the  house,  with  the  invocation,  'The  Lord 
be  with  you! '  conveyed  a  formal  welcome,  and  was  followed, 
on  the  guest  taking  his  place  on  the  couch,  by  a  servant 
bringing  water  and  washing  the  feet,  to  cool  and  refresh  them, 
as  well  as  to  remove  the  dust  of  the  road  and  give  ceremonial 
cleanness.  The  host  himself,  or  one  of  his  servants,  ne.xt 
anointed  tlie  licad  and  beard  of  tlie  guests  with  fragrant  oil, 
attention  to  the  hair  being  a  great  point  with  orientals."  ' 

As  the  houses  were  so  much  more  o]:)en  than  ours  it  was 
easy  for  anyone  to  approach  without  violating  any  law  of 
privacy.  Jesus  never  put  himself  wliere  it  would  be  difficult 
for  one  seeking  help  to  find  him. 


'  Geikie,  Life  o/  Christ. 


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Second  Year's  Ministry 

FROM    CAPERNAUM    THE   LORD,  ACCOMPANIED  BY   THE   TWELVE 
AND   CERTAIN    WOMEN,    MAKES   A   CIRCUIT   OF   GALILEE. 
Returning  to   Capernaum, Luke  viii,  1-3. 

On  that  journey  we  cannot  go,  as  there  is  no  word  to  show 
what  points  Jesus  visited. 

On  returning  to  Capernaum  : 

Heals  one  possessed  of  a  devil, _        .         .      ^t-'tt.  xii,  22. 

Controversy  with  the  Jews,       ....     Matt,  xii,  23-45  ;  Mark  iii,  22-30. 
His  mother  and  his  brethren,    Matt,  xii,  46-50  ;  Luke  viii,  19-21  ;  ISlark  iii,  31-35. 

At  the  shore ...  Matt,  xiii,  i. 

Enters  a  boat  and  teaches,       .      Matt,  xiii,  2-52  ;  Mark  iv,  1-34  ;  Luke  viii,  4-18. 
Conversation  with  a  scribe  and  a  disciple,       .     INlatc.  viii,  ig-27  ;  Luke  ix,  57-60. 

Jesus  went  to  the  shore  of  the  lake  at  Capernaum,  we  may 
believe,  that  there  might  be  more  room  for  the  crowd  that 
persistently  surged  about   him  ;   but  even    there  he  was  so 


THE    SEA     OF     GALILEE. 

pressed  upon  that  he  was  obliged  to  get  into  one  of  the  little 
fishing  boats  moored  near  the  shore.  There  he  could  speak 
without  interruption.  What  he  said  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance, and  here  we  have  only  to  lift  our  eyes  and  look 
about  us  for  illustrations  of  his  teaching.  There  are  the 
fields  and  the  sower,  the  "tree"  grown  from  tlie  smallest 
of  seeds,  the  woman  making  bread,  the  field  with  its  hid 
treasure,  the  fisherman  and  his  net,  etc.  All  these  were  very 
familiar  to  the  people  whom  Jesus  addressed.  To  those 
visiting  these  scenes  to-day  there  seems  to  come  the  echo  of 
the  Lord's  words,  so  persistent  is  custom  in  the  Far  East. 

6- 


In  His  Footsteps 


FROM  CAPERNAUM   ACROSS  THE    SEA   OF   GALILEE   TO   THE 
COUNTRY   OF    THE  "  GERGESENES." 

On  the  sea,      ....       Matt,  viii,  i8  ;  Mark  iv,  35-41 ;  Luke  viii,  22-25. 
,        Casts  o-it  demons,  .         .     Matt,  viii,  28-34  •  Mark  v,  1-20  ;  Luke  viii,  26-39. 

The  Lord's  motive  in  crossing  the  lake  was  doubtless  to 
escape  the  crowd,  which  must  have  wearied  him  greatly.  The 
trip  may  have  taken  place  early  in  the  evening,  or,  as  many 
think,  at  night.  Where  the  "country  of  the  Gergesenes" 
was  has  caused  much  discussion.  It  is  now  generally  agreed 
that  it  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  at  a  place 
now  known  as  Kersa,  Chersa,  or  Gersa,  exactly  six  miles 
southeast  of  Capernaum. 

"  In  Christ's  day  whole  fleets  of  boats  found  occupation  on 
the  lake  ;  coasters,  ferryboats,  and  boats  for  fishing.  Jose- 
phus,  indeed,  a  generation  later,  collected  at  one  time  no 
fewer  than  two  hundred  and  thirty.  Now,  however,  there 
seems  to  be  only  the  simple  boat  in  which  I  was  rowed  along 
the  lake.  Sharp  at  both  ends,  perhaps  like  that  of  Peter  or 
James  and  John,  it  was  about  six  or  eight  tons  burden,  with  a 
mast  of  twelve  or  thirteen  feet,  raking  forward ;  a  rope 
through  a  pulley  near  the  top  serving  to  hoist  a  huge  sail,  if 
needed.  At  the  stern  it  was  decked  for  about  five  feet,  and 
on  this  *  upper  seat '  a  mat  was  laid  down  for  me.  Was 
it  here  that  Christ  lay  during  the  storm,  or  was  he  con- 
tented to  sleep  on  the  planks  below.?  He  must  often  have 
had  the  same  glorious  view  as  I  then  enjoyed.  Hermon, 
flashing  light  from  its  unstained  snows,  rose  high  into  the 
northern  heavens;  lesser  mountains,  gradually  sinking  into 
the  modest  hills  along  the  shore,  reaching  like  a  long  train 
of  attendants  from  the  steps  of  this  dazzling  throne."  '  A 
storm  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  It 
is  six  hundred  feet  lower  than  the  Mediterranean,  and  its 
heated  air  rising  meets  the  cold  winds  from  Mount  Hermon, 
producing  heavy  squalls.  "  Small  as  the  lake  is,  and  placid  in 
general  as  a  molten  mirror,  I  have  repeatedly  seen  it  quiver 
and  leap  and  boil  like  a  caldron,  when  driven  by  fierce  winds 
from  the  eastern  mountains,  and  the  waves  ran  high — high 
enough  to  fill  or  'cover'  the  ships,  as  Matthew  has  it."^ 

Arriving  at  the  eastern  shore  Jesus  finds  fierce  demoniacs 
coming  out  of  the  tombs.      In  that  same  locality  may  be  seen 

•  Geikie,  New  Testament  Hours.  "  Thomson,  The  Land  anJ  the  Book. 

68 


Second  Year's  Ministry 

to-day  just  such  burial  places,  "  which  are  all  underground, 
hewn  out  of  the  live  rock.  The  doors  are  cut  out  of  immense 
blocks  of  stones,  and  are  still  standing  and  actually  working 
on  their  hinges  and  used  by  the  natives." 

FROM  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  GERGESENES  TO  CAPERNAUM. 

Surrounded  by  a  crowd,    ......         Lukeviii,4o;  Mark  v,  2r. 

Feast  at  ^[atthew's  house,        .....     Mark  xv,  22;  Luke  v,  29-39. 

Heals  a  woman  with  issue  of  blood  and  raises 

Jairus's  daughter,       .      .         Matt.  i\,  10-26  ;  Mark  v,  22-43  ;  Luke  viii,  41-56. 
Heals  two  blind  men  and  a  dumb  demoniac,         ....      Matt,  ix,  27-34. 

The  multitude  had  not  forgotten  the  great  Teacher  nor 
had  they  departed  to  their  homes.  The  crowd  are  present 
to  receive  him  as  he  returns  from  the  eastern  coast. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  at  this  time  Matthew  gave  the 
Lord  a  feast  at  his  home.  It  was  probably  very  like  what 
we  see  now  in  Palestine.  Dr.  Geikie  describes  one  he  at- 
tended at  Hebron  thus:  "A  huge  round  tray  of  tinned 
copper,  set  on  a  low  wooden  stool,  served  for  table,  and  to 
support  a  smaller,  but  still  large  tray,  set  in  the  middle  of  it, 
heaped  up  with  a  mound  of  boiled  rice,  soaked  with  melted 
butter,  and  abounding  all  through  with  small  bits  of  meat. 
Besides  this,  which  was  the  main  i)reparation,  there  were 
smaller  dishes  of  meat  and  vegetables.  The  guests  squatted 
oil  the  pieces  of  carpet  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  their  knees 
drawn  up  to  their  bodies,  and,  as  at  humbler  entertainments, 
most  of  these  dipped  their  hands  into  the  dish  for  what  they 
wanted,  though  a  few  used  wooden  spoons  and  plates  of 
tinned  copper,  which,  however,  were  not  known  in  the  days 
of  Christ.  When  anyone  had  finished  he  rose  and  retired 
to  the  next  room,  to  have  his  hands  washed  by  water  being 
poured  over  them,  his  empty  place  at  the  table  being  imme- 
diately filled  up  by  some  one  still  dinnerless."  ' 

After  the  feast  at  Matthew's  house — how  long  after  we 
have  no  means  of  knowing — a  ruler  of  the  synagogue  calls  for 
ihe  Lord  to  go  and  heal  his  little  daughter  lying  at  the  point 
of  death.  On  the  way  he  meets  the  woman  with  the  issue  of 
blood  and  heals  her.  Returning  from  Jairus's  house  to  his  own 
home  two  blind  men  come  to  him  and  are  given  their  sight. 
Later  a  dumb  demoniac  is  brought  to  him  and  is  healed. 


•  New  Testament  Hours, 

69 


IKE  TCH 

MAP  ■ 

THIRD  YEAR'J  Himsn\ 

Certi«»j> 


o  \ 


70 


Third  Year's  Ministry 


CHAPTER  V. 

Third  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  December,  A.  D.  29. 

Itinerary  on  Map. — Capernaum — Nazareth  and  surrounding- 
Towns — Capernaum — -Across  the  Sea  of  Galilee  to  Plain  of 
Butaiha — "  Land  of  Gennesaret  " — Capernaum — Coasts  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon  —  Decapolis  —  Magdala  —  Capernaum  —  Bethsaida 
Julias — Capernaum — Jerusalem  —  Caesarea  Philippi  —  Through 
Galilee  to  Capernaum — Through  Galilee,  Samaria,  Peraea  to 
Bethany — Jerusalem. 

FROM  CAPERNAUM  TO  NAZARETH,   THENCE  TO  SEVERAL   CITIES 
AND    VILLAGES   IN    THE   SURROUNDING    REGION. 

Rejected  ihe  second  time,  ....     Matt,  xiii,  54-58  ;  Mark  vi,  i-£a. 

Preachi.ig  tour,      ........       Mark  i.\,  35  ;  Mark  vi,  6b. 

Commissions  and  sends  out  the  twelve,       ....  Matt,  ix,  36-3S  ;  x. 

Hears  of  John's  death,         .         .  Malt,  xiv,  1-12  ;  Mark  vi,  14-29  ;  Luke  ix,  7-9. 

AS  we  follow  the  Lord  to  Nazareth,  on  this  his  second 
formal  visit  to  that  town  since  the  beginning  of  his 
ministry,  we  cannot  but  be  greatly  impressed  with  tlie 
changes  that  have  taken  place  since  he  was  first  harshly 
driven  out  by  his  fellow-townsmen.  Then  he  was  scarcely 
known  beyond  his  own  town.  Now  the  whole  country  has 
heard  of  him,  and  great  crowds  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
follow  him.  Yet  his  old  acquaintances,  and  even  his  former 
friends,  cannot  believe  that  he  is  anything  more  than  the  son 
of  the  carpenter,  and  they  are  offended  at  him. 

We  inay  visit  nearly  all  the  surrounding  territory  and  feel 
quite  sure  that  we  are  walking  in  the  footsteps  of  Christ  when 
he  "went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages." 

His  commission  to  and  his  sending  out  of  his  disciples 
made  such  a  commotion  that  it  seemed  to  the  wicked  Herod 
that  John  the  Baptist  had  come  to  life.  What  sorrow  must 
have  filled  the  heart  of  Jesus  when  he  learned  that  this  faith- 
ful servant,  the  forerunner,  was  dead !  John's  death  he 
doubtless  received  as  prophetic  of  his  own,  though  this  was 
the  most  popular  period  of  his  ministry. 

71 


In  His  Footsteps 


FROM   NAZARETH  AND  SURROUNDING   REGION   TO   CAPERNAUM, 

THENCE  ACROSS   THE   SEA   OF   GALILEE   TO   PLAIN    OF 

BUTAIHA,    NEAR   BETHSAIDA    JULIAS. 

Return  of  the  twelve  to  Capernaum,  .         .        .     Mark  vi,  30  ;  Luke  ix,  loa. 

Across  the  Sea  to  Plain  of  Butaiha  (El  Batlha  ;)  heals  the 
sick  and  feeds  five  thousand  men,  besides  women  and 
children,    Matt,  xiv,  13-21  ;  Mark  vi,  31-44  ;    Luke  ix,  iob-17  ;  John  vi,  1-14. 

After  the  return  of  the  twelve  to  the  Lord  at  Capernaum 
tlie  crowds  become  so  great,  and  their  demands  so  taxing, 
that  he  invites  his  disciples  to  go  apart  to  rest  awhile.  They 
leave  Capernaum  in  one  of  the  fishing  boats,  crossing  the 
upper  end  of  the  lake  directly  eastward  to  a  small  plain,  which 
lies  right  on  the  shore  near  the  old  city  of  Bethsaida  Julias.' 
But  the  people  had  seen  the  Lord  and  his  disciples  depart,  and 
they  ran  afoot  around  the  lake,  arriving  at  the  plain  or  "  desert 
place  "  ahead  of  the  boat.  Seeing  the  multitude  Jesus  had 
pity  on  them.  He  healed  many  of  their  sick,  and  then,  in 
the  evening,  fed  them  by  means  of  a  great  miracle.  We 
should  not  forget  that  the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes  which  the 
Lord  so  wonderfully  increased  were  furnished  by  a  small  boy. 
Boys  and  girls  have  much  which  the  Lord  can  use  for  good  if 
it  is  dedicated  to  him. 

FROINI   PLAIN   OF   BUTAIHA    TO   "  LAND   OF   GENNESARET," 
THENCE   TO   CAPERNAUM. 

Jesus  sends  away  the  twelve,  dismisses  the  multitude,  and 

goes  into  a  mountain  to  pray.  Matt,  xiv,  22,  23  ;  ^lark  vi,  44-46  ;  John  vi,  15. 
Jesus  walks  on  the  sea  to  the  ship 

laboring  in  the  storm,  .  Matt,  xiv,  24-33  !  Mark  vi,  47-52;  John  vi,  i6-2ia. 
Arrives  at  the  "  land  of 

tlennesaret,"         .         .         .       Matt,  xiv,  34-36  ;  Mark  vi,  53-56;  John  vi.  21b. 

At  Capernaum  : 

The  bread  of  life, John  vi,  22-71. 

Discourse  on  eating  with  unwashen  hands,     .         Matt,  xv,  i-;.j;  ISIark  vii,  1-23. 

After  such  a  laborious  day  as  that  on  which  the  muhitudes 
were  fed  it  would  seem  that  Jesus  must  needs  have  rest. 
But,  no;  he  feels  more  the  need  of  prayer.  He  sends  away 
his  disciples,  dismisses  the  people,  and  goes  into  a  mountain 
apart  to  pray.  AVhat  mountain  it  was  we  do  not  know.  l>ut 
upon  any  one  of  those  elevations  surrounding  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  he  would  find  retirement.  No  spot  can  seem  more 
hallowed  than  where  the  Lord  prayed. 

'  There  was  another  Bethsaida  on  the  west  side  of  the  Jordan  near  the  lake. 

72 


Third  Year's  Ministry 

But  during  tlie  night  a  heavy  storm  arose,  and  the  little 
boat  with  the  disciples  is  almost  swamped  in  the  waves.  But 
they  cannot  go  down,  for  Jesus  is  watching  them,  "  apart  " 
though  he  is,  and  guarding  them.  He  walks  upon  the  waves, 
where  we  cannot  follow  him,  except  as  we  move  in  our  boat 
toward  the  western  coast.  The  disciples  are  greatly  alarmed 
when  they  first  see  their  Master,  but  Peter,  recognizing  him, 
walks  on  the  water  toward  the  Lord,  who  gets  into  the  boat, 
and  forthwith  there  is  a  great  calm.  They  land  somewhere 
on  the  plain  of  Gennesaret  (Gennesareth),  which  lies  just 
south  of  Capernaum.'  The  people  are  waiting  for  them. 
Many  sick  are  healed,  and  then  Jesus  with  the  twelve  goes  to 
Capernaum. 

At  Capernaum  Christ  speaks  about  himself  as  the  "bread 
of  life."  Some  of  his  disciples  are  offended  and  forsake  him, 
but  the  twelve  cleave  to  him. 

At  that  same  time  the  Lord  reproves  the  Pharisees  for  criti- 
cising his  disciples  because  they  ate  with  unwashed  hands. 

FROM   CAPERNAUM   INTO    THE   COASTS   OF   TYRE   AND   SIDON. 
Heals  the  daughter  of  the  Sy  rophenician  woman,  Matt,  xv,  21-28 ;  Mark  vii,  24-30. 

There  is  no  data  on  which  we  may  base  an  opinion  as  to 
the  length  of  time  Jesus  was  in  Capernaum  after  his  return 
from  the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand.  It  would  seem  that 
he  did  not  stay  long. 

With  the  twelve  he  sets  out  on  one  of  his  longest  trips  and 
in  a  country  unfamiliar  to  both  him  and  us.  The  region  in 
which  are  the  cities  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  lies  northwest  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  bordering  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean. 
"Leaving  Capernaum  with  his  disciples,  he  took  apparently  a 
quiet  track  over  the  hills  of  Galilee  to  Tyre,  thirty-five  miles 
across  the  map,  but  necessarily  a  much  longer  road  to  travel." 
Sidon  is  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Tyre  along  the  Mediter- 
ranean coast.  It  is  not  certain  that  Jesus  actually  entered 
either  of  these  cities.  If  he  did  he  found  Tyre  "still  in  its 
glory  as  a  busy  seaport.  On  the  north  was  the  Sidonian 
harbor,  and  on  the  south  the  Egyptian,  each  being  about 
twelve  acres  in  area.  There  are  still  remains  which  tell  of  its 
old  busy  days,  thougli  the  doom  prophesied  has  at  last  over- 

*  "  The  land  of  Gennesareth,  which  is  identifie  1  with  the  marshy  plain,  El  Q/iuweir, 
which  stretches  for  three  mile.-,  along  the  sliore  of  the  lake  in  its  northwest  corner."— 
Henderson,  Palestine. 

73 


In  His  Footsteps 

taken  it  (Ezek.  xxvi-xxviii,  19).  In  excavating  great  heaps 
of  shells  have  been  turned  over,  from  which  the  famous  dye 
had  been  obtained,  and  broken  lumps  of  glass  that  mark  the 
site  of  its  not  less  famous  glassworks.  It  was  a  busy  and 
heathen  city  when  he  passed  by  the  sands  of  its  sea  coast."* 
Sidon  was  a  still  older  city  than  Tyre.  "  In  Homer's  day  it 
was  famed  for  its  silversmiths,  and  in  that  of  Xerxes  for  its 
shipbuilders."  On  visiting  the  site  of  ancient  Tyre  we  find 
it  occupied  by  a  town  called  Sur,  containing  five  thousand 
inhabitants,  about  half  of  them  being  Mohammedans.    Sidon, 


\^0m^^.^^^&m 


MODERN    TYRE. 

now  Saida.     It  has  a  population  of  fifteen  thousand.     There 
is  an  American  mission  there,  with  a  boys'  and  girls'  school. 

While  passing  through  this  "heathen"  territory  a  woman — 
a  Canaanite  by  birth  and  a  Greek  by  language — came  and 
besought  him  to  cure  her  afflicted  daughter.  Had  no  one  else 
sought  him,  the  woman's  noble  faith  repaid  him  for  his  journey. 


FROM    THE   COAST    OF   TYRE   AND   SIDON    TO   THE   REGION 
KNOWN    AS  DECAPOMS. 


Heals  many, 

Feeds  four  thousand. 


Matt.  XV,  29-31  ;  Mark  vii,  31-37. 
Matt.  XV,  32-38;  Mark  viii,  1-9. 


Decapolis  was  the  name  given   to  ten  cities  lying  on  the 
eastern  and  southern  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.     With  one 


*  Henderson,  Palestine. 


74 


Third  Year's  Ministry 

exception  these  ten  cities  lay  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
Jordan.  The  Lord,  after  passing  north  through  the  region  of 
Sidon,  would  probably  turn  southeast  and  cross  the  Jordan, 
following  the  river  southward  until  he  came  "unto  the  Seit  of 
Oalilee  through  the  midst  of  the  coasts  of  Decapolis."  The 
route  is  not  a  particularly  desirable  one  save  for  the  fine 
mountain  scenery  of  eastern  Phoenicia  and  Upper  Galilee. 
(-)a  this  trip  we  get  our  best  view  of  Mount  Hermon,  to  which 
we  shall  make  another  journey  very  soon. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  though  the  Lord  had  visited  it  but 
once  before,  when  he  healed  the  demoniacs  at  Gersa,  great 
crowds  are  drawn  to  him,  and  he  heals  many  diseases. 

For  three  days  the  people  surround  him,  and  at  their  close 
he  feeds  four  thousand  "  with  seven  loaves  and  a  few  fishes." 
Some  think  this  miracle  was  performed  on  the  same  spot  as 
that  for  the  five  thousand,  but  it  seems  more  reasonable  to 
believe,  as  most  of  these  cities  lay  toward  the  southern  shore 
of  Galilee,  that  it  occurred  in  that  neighborhood. 

FROM  DECAPOLIS  TO    MAGDALA   (mAGADAn),   THENCE   TO 
CAPERNAUM. 

To  Magdala  (Revised  Version,  Magadan),      .         .     Matt,  xv,  39  ;  Mark  viii,  lo. 
At  Capernaum,  Pharisees  and   Sadducees 

demand  a  sign, Matt,  xvi,  1-4;  Marl:  viii,  11,  12. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  on  the  location  of  Mag- 
dala, or  Magadan,  as  the  Revised  Version  has  it.  Mark  does 
not  mention  Magadan,  but  says  that  Christ  and  his  disciples, 
after  entering  into  a  boat,  "came  into  the  parts  of  Dalma- 
nutha."  We  cannot  enter  into  the  discussion,  but  conclude 
to  follow  those  who  identify  Magdala,  or  Magadan,  with  El 
Mejdel,  "a  miserable  village  on  the  south  side  of  the  plain  of 
Gennesaret,  near  the  lake."  Probably  the  Dalmanutha  of 
Mark  was  so  near  Magdala  that  the  latter  was  sometimes 
called  by  the  other  name.' 

From  Magdala  the  Lord  probably  went  to  Capernaum,  and 
there  met  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  who  have  come  de- 
manding a  sign  from  heaven  as  to  his  claim  to  be  the  Messiah. 
Over  this  ground  we  have  already  gone  many  times. 

'  "Just  before  reaching  Mejdel  we  crossed  a  little  open  valley,  with  a  few  cornfields 
and  gardens  straggling  among  the  ruins  of  a  village,  and  some  large  and  more  ancient 
foundations  by  several  copious  fountains,  probably  identified  with  Dalmanutha." — 
Tristram. 

75 


In  His  Footsteps 


FROM  CAPERNAUM  TO  BETHSAIDA. 

On  the  way,       .         .         .         .         .         .         .     Matt,  xvi,  5-12  ;  Mark  viii,  13-21. 

Heals  a  blind  man  at  r.ethsaida, Mark  viii,  22-26. 

After  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  had  made  their  demand 
that  Jesus  give  them  a  "  sign  from  heaven,"  it  is  recorded  that 
the  Lord  "sighed  deeply  in  his  spirit,"  grieved  beyond  ex- 
pression that  they  would  not  receive  the  signs  he  had  already 
given  them  of  the  truth  he  had  taught  and  preached.  He 
now  determines  to  turn  away  from  them,  for  he  knows  their 
hearts  are  too  hardened  to  be  convinced.  With  his  disciples 
he  crosses  the  upper  part  of  the  lake  in  a  boat.  While  going 
over,  observing  that  the  disciples  had  not  provided  themselves 
with  food,  he  warns  them  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees. 
They  land  at  a  familiar  place,  the  plain  of  Butaiha,  where  the 
five  thousand  had  been  fed.  From  there  they  go  up  to  Beth- 
saida  Julias,  where  a  blind  man  is  healed. 

Bethsaida  Julias  lies  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  lake, 
on  the  slope  of  a  hill.  It  is  now,  as  we  find  it,  a  heap  of 
ruins.  It  was  the  birthplace  of  Peter,  John,  and  Philip,  and 
v.as  rebuilt  by  Herod's  son  and  named  Julias  in  honor  of  the 
daughter  of  Augustus,  Emperor  of  Rome. 

FROM    BETHSAIDA    JULIAS    TO    CAPERNAUM,    THENCE    TO 

JERUSALEM.' 

The  Lord  meets  his  brethren  at  Capernaum, John  vii,  2-g. 

Goes  to  Jerusalem  secreily, John  vii,  10. 

At  Jerusalem  : 

Kncounter  with  the  Jews, John  vii,  n-52. 

Visit  to  Mount  of  Olives, John  viii,  i. 

Return  to  the  temple,         . John  viii,  2-58. 

Leaves  the  temple  to  escape  stonir.g,  John  viii,  51. 

Heals  a  blind  man .      John  i.\. 

The  good  shepherd, John  x,  1 -21. 

If  the  Lord  went  from  Ik-thsaida  Julias  to  Jerusalem  to 
attend  the  feast  of  the  tabernacles,  it  would  be  natural  for 
him   to  go  by  way  of  Capernaum,  as  that  place  is  not  more 

1  At  this  point  we  mei  t  one  of  the  greatest  (llfTicuhics  in  harmonizing  the  gospel  nar- 
rative. Most  writLTS  think  that  from  llethsaida  Julias  Jesus  went  wi.h  the  twelve  north 
to  Csesarea  Philippi,  and  then  to  the  scene  of  the  transfiguration  ;  that  afterward  he  went 
to  Jerusahm  to  attend  the  feast  of  tabernacles  which  took  place  in  ( )ctobcr.  Two  months 
later  occurred  the  fea^t  of  dedication,  which  Jesus  also  attended.  Seme  believe  the  Lord 
did  not  return  toCalilee  in  the  interval  between  the  t*o  feasts.  The  objections  to  the 
above  are,  (i)  the  statement  of  John  that  "  Jesus  would  not  walk  in  Jewry  because  the 
Jews  sought  to  kill  him;"  (2)  the  statement  of  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke  of  another 
departure  of  the  Lord  from  Galilee  after  the  one  mentioned  by  John  to  the  feast  of 


76 


Third  Year's  Ministry 


than  an  hour's  walk  around  the  shore  from  Bethsaida  Julias. 
The  interview  with  his  brethren  was  probably  at  Capernaum. 

The  Lord's  brethren 
were  anxious  for  him  to 
go  to  Jerusalem  and  de- 
clare himself  openly  as 
the  Messiah.  They  be- 
lieved that  the  rulers 
would  accept  his  claims. 
"  Had  Jesus  been  such 
a  Messiah  as  they  sup- 
posed was  to  come  their 
advice  was  good.  It  is 
plain  that  they  did  not 
in  any  true  sense  believe 
on  him,  but  in  a  spirit  of 
purely  worldly  wisdom 
attempted  to  guide  him 
in  his  conduct.  Their 
advice  was  in  its  nature 
a  temptation  like  that  of 
the  devil  ;  a  temptation 
to  reveal  himself  before 
the  time  and  in  a  pre- 
sumptuous way."'  He 
waits  in  Capernaum  a 
few  days,  and  then  sets 
off  as  quietly  as  possible 
to  avoid  the  crowd. 
"  The  object  of  his 
delay  was  to  avoid  going 
with  the  great  Galilean 
caravan,  which  entered 
the  holy  city  with  public 
rejoicings.  Hewouldbe 
recognized  at  once,  and  the  multitude,  in  the  excitement  of 
the  time,  might  again  try  to  force  him  into  political  action. 

tabernacles  (Matt.  ,\ix,  i  ;  Mark  x,  i  ;  Luke  ix,  51).  It  seems  clear,  therefore,  that 
Jesus  must  have  returned  to  Galilee  after  the  feast  of  tabernacles  in  October,  and  the 
most  reasonable  conclusion,  in  view  of  all  the  facts,  is  that  that  return  took  place  within 
the  two  months  between  the  two  feasts.  Andrews's  summary  of  the  whole  question  is 
very  aljle,  and  his  arrangement  of  events  is  provisionally  adopted  until  more  light  is 
thrown  on' this  very  difficult  problem  of  Gospel  harmony. 
'Andrews,   The  Life  0/ Our  Lord. 

6  77 


A   BLIND    BEGGAR. 


In  His  Footsteps 


Publicity  and  popular  enthusiasm  would  have  drawn  the  at- 
tention of  those  in  power,  and  this  lie  at  present  earnestly 
wished  to  avoid.  His  work  was  not  to  be  rashly  broken  off 
by  any  imprudent  act,  for  he  needed  all  the  opportunities 
that  remained  to  devote  himself  to  the  twelve  and  to  his  other 
followers.  He  could  go  up  a  few  days  later,  and  thus  avoid 
the  caravan.  The  feast  lasted  seven  days,  closing  with  the 
eighth  as  the  greatest,  and  thus,  even  if  he  started  later,  he 
could  mingle  with  the  multitudes  and  find  out  how  men  felt 
toward  him  and  his  work,  and  proclaim  the  new  kingdom  as 
he  saw  fit.  The  danger  would  be  averted,  and  his  great  end 
better  served.  It  was  more  in  keeping  with  his  spirit  to  avoid 
all  appearance  of  courting  popularity  and  to  deliver  his  great 
message  of  love  in  stillness,  leaving  its  reception  to  its  own 

charms  and  to  the 
lowly  humility, 
self-denial,  and 
greatness  with 
which  it  was  de- 
livered." ' 

With  what  sor- 
row must  he 
have  entered  his 
Father's  house  on 
this  occasion.  It 
is  a  time  of  joy 
for  others,  yet  he 
must  come  as  a 
criminal  hiding  from  justice.  "  The  feast  of  tabernacles 
(or  ingathering)  was  intended  to  commemorate  the  passage 
of  the  Israelites  through  the  wilderness,  and  was  celebrated 
with  such  universal  joy  that  both  Josephus  and  Philo  call 
it  'the  holiest  and  greatest  feast,'  and  it  was  known  among 
the  Jews  as  '  the  fcasf  preeminently.  It  was  kept  for  seven 
consecutive  days,  from  the  15th  to  the  21st  of  Tisri,  and 
the  eighth  was  celebrated  by  a  holy  convocation.  During 
the  seven  days  the  Jews  celebrated  their  desert  wanderings, 
lived  in  booths  made  of  thickly  foliaged  boughs  of  olive  and 
palm  and  pine  and  myrtle.  During  the  week  of  festivities  all 
the  courses  of  priests  were  employed  in  turn  ;  seventy  bullocks 
were  offered  in  sacrifice  for  the  seventy  nations  of  the  world  ; 


THE  WATERS   OF   MEROM. 


'  Geikie,  Life  of  Christ. 


78 


Third  Year's  Ministry 

the  law  was  daily  read,  and  on  each  day  the  temple  trumpets 
sounded  twenty-one  times  an  inspiring  and  triumphant  blast. 
The  joy  of  the  occasion  was  deepened  by  the  fact  that  the 
feast  followed  but  four  days  after  the  ceremonies  of  the  great 
day  of  atonement,  in  which  a  solemn  expiation  was  made  for 
the  sins  of  the  people."' 

As  soon  as  the  Lord  entered  the  temple  he  was  recognized 
and  attacked.  He  is  accused  of  having  a  devil.  Nicodemus, 
who  came  to  him  by  night,  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  en- 
deavors to  have  justice  done,  but  he  is  himself  charged  with 
being  in  league  with  Jesus.     The  spirit  of  the  Jews  is   no- 


C/ESAKKA     I'illLlPl'l. 


where  so  well  shown  as  in  the  efforts  of  the  Pharisees  to  per- 
suade the  blind  man  that  he  had  not  been  cured. 

Then  are  spoken  those  precious  words  which  have  com- 
forted so  many  burdened  hearts  and  have  been  the  inspira- 
tion of  childhood:  "I  am  the  good  shepherd;  the  good 
shepherd  layeth  down  his  life  for  the  sheep."  ^ 

'  V-Axr-^x,  Life  of  Christ. 

^  "  When  the  thief  and  the  robber  come  (and  come  they  do),  the  faithful  shepherd 
lias  f)ften  to  put  his  life  in  his  hand  to  defend  his  flock.  I  have  known  more  than  one 
case  in  which  he  had  literally  to  lay  it  down  in  the  contest." — Thomson. 

79 


In  His  Footsteps 


FROM    JERUSALEM    TO    THE    REGION    OF    C^ESAREA    PHILIPPI. 

Talks  by  the  way,         .        Matt,  xvi,  13-28  ;  Mark  viii,  27-ix,  i  ;  Luke  ix,  18-27. 

The  transfiguration,     .         .  Matt,  xvii,  i-g  ;  Mark  ix,  2-10  ;  Luke  ix,  28-36. 

Discourse  on  the  coming  of  Elias,        .         .        Matt,  xvii,  10-13  '<  Mark  ix,  11-13. 

The  hinatic  boy,   .        .         .      Matt,  vii,  14-21  ;  Mark  i.\,  14-29  ;  Luke  ix,  37-43. 

We  have  before  us  one  of  our  longest  continuous  trips, 
ibout  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  The  only  part  of  the 
route  with  which  w'e  are  unfamiliar  is 
that  lying  between  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
and  Caesarea  Philippi,  a  stretch  of 
country  between  thirty-five  and  forty 
miles  in  length.  We  pass  Chorazin 
(Kerazeh)  on  our  right,  a  heap  of  ruins, 
reminding  us  of  our  Lord's  prophecy 
(Matt,  xi,  21),  skirt  the  mountains  of 
Safed  on  the  left  and  reach  Lake 
Merom,  now  known  as  Lake  Huleh. 
It  is  only  about  fii'teen  feet  deep,  and 
"abounds  in  waterfowl,  including  peli- 
cans and  wild  duck,  but  swamps  ren- 
der it  difficult  or  impossible  of  access 
on  the  north  side,  on  which  rises  a 
dense  jungle  of  papyrus."  North  of 
the  lake  is  a  plain  some  five  miles  in 
width.  Toward  the  east  the  bed  of 
the  valley  forms  a  swamp  in  which  the 
buffaloes  belonging  to  the  Bedouins 
wallow.  We  turn  toward  the  north- 
east, crossing  the  river  near  Dan,  and 
are  in  sight  of  the  beautifully  situated 
Banias  (Ctesarea  Philippi).  This  was 
in  ancient  times  the  Greek  Baneas. 
It  was  enlarged  by  Herod's  son  Philip, 
and  given  the  name  Caesarea,  to  which 
Philippi  was  afterward  added.  It  is  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  sea  level,  situated  in  a  nook  of 
Mount  Hermon. 

Into  this  vicinity  came  our  Lord  with  the  twelve,  and 
somewhere  on  this  very  mountain  of  Hermon  he  was  trans- 
figured. What  a  change  from  the  scene  of  the  temple  in 
Jerusalem,  with  the  Pharisees  plotting  to  kill  him  !  How 
often  the  rejected  of  men  is  the  accepted  of  God  ! 

Descending  from  the  mountain  the  Lord  finds  his  waiting 

80 


A     LITTLE    CHILD 
PALESTINE. 


OF 


Third  Year's  Ministry 

disciples,  helpless    to  lieal  an   afflicted   child.      He    teaches 
them  the  needed  lesson  of  faith,  and  casts  out  the  evil  spirit. 

FROM  C.tSAREA   PHILIPPI    THROUGH    GALILEE   TO   CAPERNAUM. 

On  the  way,       .......   Matt,  xvii,  22,  23  ;  Luke  ix,  43-45. 

At  Capernaum  :  The  tribute  money,       .....        Matt,  xvii,  24-27. 

A  little  child  in  the  midst,         ....         Mark  ix,  33-50 ;  Luke  ix,  4-50. 

We  return  southward  through  Galilee  to  Capernaum.  On 
the  way  the  Lord  speaks  to  his  disciples  of  his  approaching 
death,  but  they  do  not  understand  him. 

At  Capernaum  Peter  comes  saying  that  the  Master  is  ex- 
pected to  pay  the  temple  tax.  "  The  exact  time  for  payment 
had  passed  while  Christ  had  been  away  from  Capernaum. 
As  if  to  show  that  not  even  the  most  insignificant  matter  that 
concerned  his  disciples  escaped  his  notice,  even  when  not 
bodily  present  with  them,  Peter  no  sooner  appeared  than  his 
errand  was  anticipated."  ' 

The  twelve  had  been  trying  to  settle  the  remarkable  ques- 
tion who  was  the  greatest  among  them,  Jesus  sets  a  little 
child  before  them  and  tells  them  that  not  the  largest  in  size, 
nor  the  most  learned,  nor  those  who  thought  they  possessed 
special  privileges  were  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom,  but  those 
without  worldly  ambition,  the  teachable  and  the  trustful ;  such, 
indeed,  as  had  the  spirit  of  the  little  child  now  before  them. 

FROM   CAPERNAUM   THROUGH   GALILEE,  SAMARIA,  AND    PER^EA 

TO   BETHANY. 

Final  departure  from  Galilee,  .  .  Matt,  xix,  i  ;  Mark  x,  i  ;  Luke  ix,  51. 
In  Samaria, Luke  ix,  52-56. 

In  Peraea.     Incidents  by  the  way : 

The  seventy  sent  in  advance,  ....  Matt,  ix,  20-24  '.  Luke  x,  1-16. 

Jesus  follows, Mark  x,  1. 

Return  of  the  seventy, Matt,  xl,  25-30  ;  Luke  x,  17-24. 

The  Good  Samaritan, Luke  x,  25-37. 

Teaching  to  pray Luke  xi,  1-13. 

Healing  the  blind  and  dumb,  .....  Matt,  xii,  22,  23;  Luke  xi,  14. 
Concerning  the  Pharisees,  ....  Matt,  xii,  24-45  i  Mark  iii,  22-30. 
Feast  at  a  Pharisee's  house  and  parable  of  the  rich  fool,       .       Luke  xi,  3-54-xii. 

Parable  of  the  fig  tree, Luke  xiii,  2-9. 

Healing  of  an  infirm  woman  on  the  Sabbath,  .  .  .  Luke  xiii,  10-17. 
Parables  of  niustard  seed  and  leaven,        .....  Luke  xiii,  18-21. 

"  Strive  to  enter  in" — warning  against  Herod,        .         .         .  Luke  xiii,  22-35. 

At  Bethany, Luke  x,  22-35. 

We  are  passing  through  Galilee  for  the  last  time  previous 
to  the  crucifixion,  as  this  journey  marks  the  Lord's  final  de- 
parture from  that  province. 

'  Geikie,  Life  of  Christ 

81 


In  His  Footsteps 

The  Lord  sends  James  and  John  in  advance  to  provide 
entertainment  for  the  company  at  one  of  the  Samaritan  vil- 
lages, but  the  bigoted  people  will  not  allow  the  party  to  stay 
in  their  village  because  they  are  going  toward  Jerusalem. 
John  and  James  want  to  call  down  fire  from  heaven,  but  the 
Lord  severely  rebukes  them. 

They  then  turn  toward  the  eastern  side  of  the  Jordan  to  a 
province  called  Percea.'  The  Lord  sends  the  seventy  before 
him  to  announce  his  coming,  and  thus  prepare  the  people 
among  whom  he  has  not  yet  labored  for  his  teaching.  There 
were  many  towns  in  Per^a  when  Jesus  passed  through  it  ; 


BETHANY. 


there  is  scarcely  anything  but  ruins  now.  We  have  already 
passed  through  the  territory  in  following  our  Lord  to  his 
baptism. 

Jesus  evidently  did  not  stay  long  in  one  place,  but  con- 
tinued moving  toward  the  south,  teaching  and  healing.  One 
day  he  is  at  a  feast  in  a  Pharisee's  house,  the  next  he  is  heal- 
ing some  poor  creature  who  has  found  help  nowhere  else. 

Finally  he  crosses  the  Jordan  westward,  ])robably  near 
Bethabara,  where  he  was  baptized,  and  reaches  P)ethany,  the 
home  of  Martha  and  Mary,  where  he  finds  a  welcome  await- 
ing him.  Bethany  is  now  known  as  El-Azariyeh.  It  lies  two 
miles  east  of  the  cajntal  on  the  Jerusalem  and  Jericho  road, 

>  "  Peraa  is  mentioned  in  tVie  gospels  (Matt,  iv,  25)  under  the  term,  'beyond  Jordan,' 
Uepnv  roil  ''Ioij6avov;  i"  RJark  x,  i,  translated  'the  farther  side  of  Jordan.' "— 
Andrews. 

"  In  the  time  of  Christ  it  was  fertile  and  popnlnns  and  inhabited  by  a  mixed  popula- 
tion, partly  Roman,  partly  Jewish." — Lyman  Abbott. 

82 


Third  Year's  Ministry 

nestling  "in  a  sheltered  nook  at  the  point  where  the  road 
over  the  summit  descends  into  the  southern  one.  There  is 
no  question  as  to  its  identity."  '  It  is  endeared  to  us  because 
it  afforded  at  least  one  place  where  the  Son  of  man  might  lay 
his  head.  We  are  shown  the  "  tomb  of  Lazarus  "  and  the 
site  of  the  house  of  Mary  and  Martha. 

FROM   BETHANY    TO   JERUSALEM.^ 

At  the  feast  of  dedication, John  x,  22,  23. 

Controversy  with  the  Jews, John  x,  24-39. 

We  pass  around  the  Mount  of  Olives,  entering  Jerusalem, 
not  as  formerly  by  the  Damascus  Gate,  but  by  one  of  the  gates 
on  the  east.  Jesus  entered  the  city  at  this  time  to  attend 
the  feast  of  dedication.  "  The  festival  of  dedication  was  in- 
stituted by  Judas  Maccabeus  to  commemorate  the  purifica- 
tion of  the  temple  and  the  renewal  of  the  temple  worship 
after  the  three  years  of  profanation  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes. 
It  was  held  during  eight  days,  commencing  on  the  25th  day 
of  the  month  Kisler,  which  began  with  the  new  moon  of 
December.  It  was  celebrated  by  the  Jews,  not  at  Jerusalem 
alone,  like  the  great  festivals  of  the  law,  but  at  home,  through- 
out the  whole  country,  by  the  festive  illumination  of  their 
dwellings."'' 

While  the  Lord  was  walking  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
temple  in  Solomon's  porch — so  called  because  it  was  built  of 
materials  which  had  formed  part  of  the  ancient  temple — he 
is  met  by  the  Jews  who  want  a  plain  statement  as  to  his 
Messiahship.  The  Lord's  reply  so  angers  them  that  they  try 
to  kill  him. 


1  Henderson,  Palestine. 

*  We  cannot  be  sure  of  any  of  these  events  during  these  "last  days,"   but  Andrews  is 
followed  throughout  as  the  most  satisfactory  guide. 
^  Robinson. 

83 


iH£TC~H     MAP 


zV^^'-i'r^,,, 


Fourth  Year's  Ministry 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Fourth  Year's  Ministry,  January  to  April  2,  A.  D.  30. 

Itinerary  on  Map.  —  Jerusalem  —  Per^ea  through  Bethal^ara 
(Bethany)— Bethany  (near  Jerusalem)  —  Ephraim— Jericho  by 
way  of  the  border  of  Samaria  and  Galilee  and  the  Jordan  valley 
— Bethany. 

from  jerusalem  to  per^a  through  bethabara 
(bethany). 

Departure  from  Jerusalem,  John  x,  40. 

Many  come  to  him  at  Bethabara,  .        .        .         .         .         .        Juhn  x,  41,  42. 

Attends  a  feast  at  a  Pharisee's  house,  heals  a  dropsical  man,  gives 
advice  in  choosing  one's  place,  and  delivers  parable  of  great 
supper, I-"ke  xiv,  1-24. 

The  test  of  discipleship Luke  xiv,  25-35. 

Parables  of  lost  sheep,  lost  piece  tf  silver,  prod'g.il  son,  and  unjust 

steward, Luke  xv;  xvi,  1-13. 

Pharisees  reproved Luke  xvi,  14-18. 

Parables  of  rich  man  and  Lazarus Luke  xvi,  19-31. 

Advice  to  disciples, Luke  xvii,  i-io. 

ACCORDING  to  Jolin,  Jesus,  immediately  after  the  attack 
upon  him  at  the  feast  of  dedication,  "  went  away  again 
beyond  Jordan  into  the  place  where  John  was  at  the 
first  baptizing."  The  scene  of  John's  labors  (Bethabara  or 
Bethany — not  the  Bethany  of  Mary  and  Martha,  of  course) 
we  have  already  located  on  the  Jordan,  directly  east  of 
Jericho,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Going  down  from 
Jerusalem  to  Jericho  we  realize  why  the  unfortunate  Jew  was 
robbed  on  this  same  road.  It  is  extremely  rugged  and  dan- 
gerous, affording  many  hiding  places  for  thieves.  We  skirt 
the  Mount  of  Olives  and  pass  Bethany  on  our  riglit  toward 
the  southeast.  Ascending  a  hill  we  come  to  the  "  stone  of 
rest,"  said  to  be  the  place  where  Martha  and  Mary  met 
Jesus  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  Bethany  to  raise  Lazarus 
from  the  dead.  We  pass  several  ruins,  cross  several  brooks, 
mountains,  valleys,  and  plains,  and  finally  reach  Jericho, 
which  we  do  not  now  visit,  but  hasten  on  to  the  ford  of  Jordan, 
some  five  miles  beyond  Jericho.  This  has  been  a  gathering 
place  for  many  centuries  for  Christians  who  came  to  be  bap- 

85 


In  His  Footsteps 


tized  in  the  waters  of  Jordan.  In  the  sixth  century  Antoninus 
records  "  that  both  banks  were  paved  with  marble,  that  a 
wooden  cross  rose  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  that, 
after  the  water  had  been  blessed  by  the  priest,  the  pilgrims 
entered  it,  each  wearing  a  linen  garment,  which  was  carefully 
preserved  afterward  in  order  to  be  used  as  a  winding-sheet."' 
Arriving  at  Bethabara  Jesus  was  visited  by  large  companies 
of  people,  and  ''many  believed  on  him."  From  Bethabara  he 
probably  went  to  several  other  places  in  Persea.  The  time 
from  the  feast  of  dedication  in  December  to  the  passover,  a 
period  of  about  four  months,  was  occupied  with  this  ministry 

on  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  Jordan,  the  visit  to 
Bethany  near  Jerusa- 
lem, the  stay  in  Ephra- 
im,  and  the  journey 
from  Ephraim  back  to 
Bethany  by  way  of  Jer- 
iclio.  We  may  reason- 
ably suppose  that  the 
ministry  in  Peraea  did 
not  occupy  more  than 
two  months. 

From  the  scene  of 
John's  baptism  we  go 
with  Luke  to  the  other 
points  in  Perasa.  The 
Lord  is  invited  to  the 
home  of  a  prominent 
Pharisee,  and  while 
there  on  a  Sabbath 
heals  a  man  of  dropsy,  advises  his  disciples  not  to  choose 
the  most  conspicuous  places,  and  gives  the  parable  of  the  great 
supper.  How  appropriate  such  words  at  that  time.  I'hey 
had  just  partaken  of  a  feast,  and  possibly  some  of  them  had 
secretly  wished  for  conspicuous  seats.  They  had  all  re- 
sponded gladly  to  the  invitation  of  this  prominent  Pharisee  to 
eat  of  the  good  things  which  had  been  provided.  Would 
they  all  respond  as  heartily  to  the  invitation  of  tlieir  Father 
in  heaven  to  eat  of  the  good  things  of  his  table  .''  Then 
comes  the  test  of  discipleship — and   a  close   and   searching 

'  Baedeker,  Palestine  and  Syria. 

86 


"THE  BLOODY  WAY  — ON  THE  ROAD 
FROM  JERUSALEM  TO  JERICHO. 


Fourth  Year's  Ministry 


test  it  is — the  parables  of  the  lost  sheep,  the  lost  piece  of 
money,  the  prodigal  son,  and  the  unjust  steward.  These 
parables  are  very  much  more  interesting,  because  much  clearer, 
since  we  have  seen  the  country  in  which  the  customs  and  life 
referred  to  are  familiar  even  to  this  day. 

"The  bitter  poverty  of  the  East  would  itself  account  for 
the  wild  eagerness  of  the  search 
after  a  trifling  coin  ;  but  there 
were  other  impulses.  At  Beth- 
lehem the  women  wear  a  row 
of  coins  over  their  forehead, 
and  their  sisters  of  Nazareth 
wear  strings  of  them  at  each 
side  of  the  face.  At  both  places 
these  constitute,  as  a  rule,  the 
whole  wealth  of  their  possessor, 
and  have  been  inherited  as  an 
heirloom  from  previous  owners, 
a  mother,  grandmother,  or  even 
some  one  farther  back.  That 
the  string  should  break  and  let 
one  of  the  little  store,  thus 
sacred,  be  lost,  might  well  make 
the  unfortunate  sufferer  not  only 
light  her  poor  lamp  but  sweep 
the  floor  over  in  the  hope  of 
finding  the  precious  sixpence 
or  shilling."  ' 

The  food  of  the  swine  which 
the  poor  prodigal  was   at   last 
forced  to  eat  we  often  see.     It  ^p 
is  the  fruit  of  the   carob  tree,      "^ 
which    "  rises    to    a  height   of  woman  with  headdress 

from  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  look-  of  coins. 

ing  like  a  huge  apple  tree,  and 

attracting  the  eye  at  once  by  its  abundant  foliage  of  dark 
glossy  evergreen  leaves."  Dr.  Geikie  says  that  immense 
quantities  of  the  carob  pods  are  sold  in  England  for  horse 
fodder.  They  can  be  seen  at  many  fruit  stands  in  our  largest 
American  cities. 

The  Lord  again  reproves  the  Pharisees  ;  in  this  instance 


'  Geikie,  Neiu  Testament  Hours. 


87 


In  His  Footsteps 

for  their  love  of  money  and  their  indifference  to  the  condition 
of  the  poor.  Even  now,  in  the  East,  we  are  brought  almost 
daily  into  contact  with  those  who  try  to  impress  us  with  their 
high  social  position  by  wearing  gaudy  colors. 

FROM    PER^A    TO    BETHANY    (nEAR    JERUSALEM). 

After  two  days  Jesus  starts  for  Bethany, John  xi,  i-6, 

Conversation  about   Lazarus  on  the  way,        .         .         .         .         .  John  xi,  7-16 

Meeting  with  Martha  and  Mary  outside  Betfrany,   "     .         .         .  John  xi,  17-38 

At  the  grave  of  Lazarus, John  xi,  39-44 

The  Pharisees  plot  against  Jesus, John  xi,  45-53 

Jesus  probably  took  the  road  past  Jericho  toward  Jerusa- 
lem, the  same  on  which  we  journeyed  following  him  to 
Bethabara.  The  sisters  meet  the  Lord  just  before  he  reaches 
Bethany,  and  tell  him  of  all  that  is  in  tiieir  hearts.  Then 
Jesus  goes  with  them  into  the  village  to  the  place  where 
Lazarus  was  buried. 

The  effect  of  the  miracle  was  so  great  that  the  Lord's 
enemies  in  Jerusalem  are  resolved  to  take  his  life. 

FROM  BETHANY  TO  EPHRAIM. 

In  retirement  there, John  xi,  54,  55 

Anxiously  sought  for  by  his  enemies  in  Jerusalem,     .         .         .      John  xi,  56,  57. 

Here  we  meet  with  another  of  the  difficulties  of  biblical 
geography.  We  do  not  know  where  Ephraim  was.  The  best 
authorities  on  the  geography  of  the  Bible,  Porter,  Lange, 
Ellicott,  Conder,  Tristram,  Henderson,  and  George  Adam 
Smith,  believe  it  was  the  village  now  known  as  Taiyebeh, 
some  fifteen  miles  almost  directly  north  of  Jerusalem.  We 
shall  accept  this  conclusion,  in  want  of  more  reliable  data, 
and  journey  thither.  We  turn  from  Bethany,  toward  the  north, 
avoiding  Jerusalem,  pass  through  Anata  (the  ancient  Ana- 
thotli,  Jeremiah's  birthplace),  Jeba  or  Gebah,  then  down 
through  the  pass  and  village  of  Mikhmash,  the  village  of 
Der  Divan,  "loftily  situated  and  inclosed  by  mountains." 
Then  directly  north  to  Taiyebeh  (Ephraim).  "It  is  a  vil- 
lage perched  on  a  conspicuous  eminence  and  with  an  exten- 
sive view." 

The  Lord's  reason  for  going  to  Ephraim  was  clearly  to  es- 
cape the  malice  of  his  enemies  in  Jerusalem,  for  his  time  had 
not  yet  come.  "  He  was  spending  the  few  days  that  remained 
to  him,  not  amid  crowds,  nor  renewing  in  some  scattered 
villages  the  labors  of  his  early  ministry,  but  in  the  society  of 


Fourth  Year's  Ministry 

his  disciples,  teaching  them  such  truths  as  they  could  re- 
ceive, and  preparing  them  for  their  labors  after  he  should 
himself  be  taken  from  them.  Doubtless,  also,  this  period 
gave  him  many  desired  opportunities  of  solitary  communion 
with  his  father."  ' 

FROM     EPHRAIM     NORTH    TO    THE     BORDER    OF     SAMARIA    AND 

GALILEE,     THENCE     EAST     TO     THE     JORDAN,     FOLLOWING 

THE    WESTERN    SHORE    SOUTH    TO    JERICHO. 

Ten  lepers  cleansed  on  border  of  Samaria,  .         .         .       Luke  xvii,  ii-iq. 

Talks  on  the  way  lo  Jericho:  The  coming  kingdom,  .  .  Luke  xvii,  20-37. 
Parables  of  unjust  judge  and  Pharisee  and  publican,  .  .  Lukexviii,  1-14. 
Discourse  on  divoice,  .....        Matt,  xix,  -5-12  ;  Mark  x,  2-12. 

Children  blessed,  .  .  Matt,  xix,  13-15  ;  Mark  x,  13-16  ;  Luke  xviii,  15-17. 
The  rich  young  ruler,         .      Matt,  xix,  16-30;  Mark  x,  17-31  ;  Luke  xviii,  18-30. 

Laborers  in  the  vineyard,  Matt,  xx,  1-16. 

Jesus  foretells  his  death.  Matt,  xx,  17-ig;  Mark  x,  32-34;  Luke  xviii,  31-34. 
John  and  James  want  position,  .  .  .  Matt,  xx,  20-28  ;  Mark  x,  35-45. 
Near  Jericho  :  Blind  healed.  Matt,  xx,  29-34  ;  Mark  x,  45-52;  Luke  xviii,  35-43. 
In  Jericho:    Interview  with  Zaccheus,       .....  Luke  xix,  i-io. 

Parable  of  the  pounds, Luke  xix,  11-28. 

Luke  clearly  states  that  the  healing  of  the  ten  lepers  oc- 
curred while  Jesus  and  his  disciples  were  passing  "  through 


.   "i  • 


LEPERS     BEGGING     BY    THE    WAYSIDE. 


the  midst  of  Samaria  and  Galilee"  (I^uke  xvii,  ii).  The  word 
translated  "midst"  would  better  be  rendered  "between." 
Evidently  the  Lord  went  north  to  the  border  between 
Samaria  and  Galilee,  then  turned  east  to  the  Jordan.  We  do  not 
know  why  he  chose  this  route,  but  probably  to  join  the  cara- 


'  Andrews,  T/ie  Life  0/  Our  Lord. 


89 


In  His  Footsteps 

van  coming  down  from  Galilee  and   the  north  to  attend  the 
passover. 

The  Lord's  few  weeks  of  retirement  are  ended,  and  he  is 
now  to  enter  Jerusalem,  not  as  one  afraid  of  his  life,  but 
boldly  and  with  all  publicity.  He  would  probably  choose 
the  west  bank  of  the  river  and  proceed  with  the  horde  of 
jiilgrims,  meeting  the  crowds  from  the  east  side  of  the  river 
at  Jericho.  Somewhere  on  the  way  he  speaks  of  the  ap- 
proaching kingdom  of  which  he  is  king,  gives  the  parables  of 
the  unjust  judge  and  the  Pharisee  and  publican.  He 
speaks  about  marriage,  blesses  little  children,  tells  the  rich 
young  man  what  he  must  do  if  he  would  be  perfect,  gives  the 
parable  of  the  laborers  in  the  vineyard,  foretells  his  death, 
and,  finally,  tells  James  and  John,  and  their  mother  Salome, 
what  conditions  are  necessary  for  position  in  his  kingdom. 

Near  Jericho  the  blind  men  were  healed.*  Going  into 
the  city  he  met  Zaccheus,  and  probably  lodged  at  his  house 
over  night.  Somewhere  in  the  city  or  near  it  he  gave  the 
parable  of  the  pounds.  When  the  Lord  visited  Jericho  it 
was  "probably  among  Judean  cities  second  only  to  Jerusa- 
lem." In  our  Lord's  day  it  was  both  beautiful  and  wealthy. 
It  was  the  home  of  large  numbers  of  priests  and  Levites, 
who  could  be  seen  almost  any  hour  of  the  day  on  the  road 
between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho.  Its  glory  has  all  departed. 
It  now  *'  consists  of  a  group  of  squalid  hovels  inhabited  by 
about  three  hundred  souls."  As  we  enter  we  are  surrounded 
by  the  villagers,  who  declare  their  desire  to  dance  for  our 
pleasure  (and  for  backsheesh).  But  it  would  hardly  do  to 
show  money,  as  thieves  are  plentiful  in  Jericho.  The  site  of 
the  "house  of  Zaccheus"  and  other  relics  are  pointed  out. 
The  fruits  and  flowers  of  the  region  are  very  interesting. 
The  famous  "  rose  of  Jericho  "  is  not  a  rose,  neither  is  it 
found  at  Jericho,  but  farther  south  on  the  banks  of  the 
Dead  Sea. 

FROM    JERICHO    'I'O    ISETHANY. 

Arrival  .Tt  I'.ethany,        .         .  .         .  ....       John  xii,  i. 

Anointing  by  Mary,       .         .        Matt,  xxvi,  6-13  ;  Mark  xiv,  3-9  ;  John  xii,  2-11. 

Our  present  trip  toward  Jerusalem  is  of  pathetic  interest, 
as  it  is  the  last  long  journey  we  shall  take  with  Jesus  before 
the  crucifi.xion.     He  is  going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  die. 

'For  a  full  discussion  of  the  questions  when  and  where  the  blind  men  were  licaled,  see 
Andrews,  'J7tf  Li/e  0/ Our  Loni,  pp.  416-41S. 

90 


Fourth  Year's  Ministry 

It  was  but  natural  that  just  before  his  great  struggle, 
which  ended  only  with  his  life,  the  Lord  should  turn  toward 
Bethany  to  a  home  that  was  always  open  and  always  dear 
to  him. 

He  arrives  on  Friday.  A  supper  is  made  for  him,  and 
Mary,  forgetting  all  else  in  her  affection  for  her  Lord,  pours 
upon  his  head  and  feet  the  most  precious  thing  she  had,  the 
Eastern  spikenard,  and  then  wipes  his  feet  with  her  hair. 
A  greater  tribute  of  love  could  not  have  been  shown.  The  ala- 
baster vase  was  very  precious  in  itself,  but  that  Mary  broke. 
"  To  anoint  the  feet  was  a  supreme  expression  of  honor,  and 
still  more  so  when  the  ointment  used  was  not  the  common 
manufacture,  but  the  hugely  dear  ointment  brought  from  dis- 
tant Eastern  countries." 

The  act  doubtless  surprised  all  the  disciples  who  were  not 
used  to  seeing  such  costly  articles,  but  only  Judas,  whose 
covetousnessand  avarice  were  too  great  to  be  restrained,  pro- 
tests openly. 


!LJ? 


CHEL  OR  SACRED  ENCLOSURE 


Qate 

i 


Gate 


COURT   OF  THE   GENTILES 


Underground 
Entrance 


Bridge  :   I 

I  HEROD'S    PORCH 


PLAN  OF  HEROD'S  TEMPLE. 
91 


In  His  Footsteps 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Passion  Week.' 

Sunday,  April  2,  A.  D.  30. 

FROM    BETHANY   TO   JERUSALEM — RETURN    TO    BETH  ANY. 

On  the  way,      Matt.  xxi.  i-ii  ;  Mark  xi,  i-io  ;  Luke  xix,  29-40  ;  Jnhn  xii,  12-ig. 

Weeping  over  the  ciiy, Luke  xix,  41-44. 

In  the  temple Mark  xi,  iia. 

Return  to  Bethany, Mark  xi,  i:b. 

IT  is  generally  believed  that  Jesus  spent  Friday  night,  Sat- 
urday, and  Saturday  night  at  Bethany.     On    Sunday,  the 

first  day  of  the  week,  he  made  his  triumphal  entry  into 
Jerusalem.  It  is  well  known  that  all  the  friends  of  Jesus 
had  anxiously  awaited  such  a  moment.  They  had  openly 
pressed  him  to  declare  himself  and  thus  inaugurate  his  glori- 
ous reign  as  the  King  of  Israel.  The  Lord  had  patiently 
sought  to  turn  their  minds  away  from  a  worldly  kingdom  and 
worldly  methods  of  advancing  it.  Up  to  this  time  he  had 
resisted  everything  like  display.  Now,  however,  he  will  go 
into  Jerusalem  as  a  king.  But  how  unlike  the  kings  of  the 
earth!  Instead  of  the  spears  are  palm  branches;  instead  of 
the  blare  of  trumpets,  the  voice  of  psalms  ;  instead  of  the 
warlike  horse,  a  beast  which  symbolizes  peace  and  humility. 

The  route  from  Bethany  to  Jerusalem  was  over  the  usual 
road  that  wound  across  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Following  our 
Lord  during  these  last  days,  we  mark  more  particularly  each 
step  of  the  way.  There  is  nothing  of  special  interest  after 
leaving  Bethany  until  we  reach  the  Mount  of  Olives.  This  is  a 
'■  long  ridge  of  chalky  limestone  "  just  east  of  Jerusalem  and 
parallel  to  it,separatedfrom  thecity  by  the  valley  of  the  Kidron. 
This  ridge,  popularly  known  as  the  INIount  of  Olives,  is  really 
made  up  of  three  eminences;  the  northern  one  known  as 
Mount  Scopus,  the  southern  as  the  Mount  of  Offense.     The 

'  The  rubric  of  Catholic  churches  makes  passion  week  preceding  that  of  iho  crucifixion. 
Protestant  usage  prefers  the  historical  to  the  conventional  order. 

92 


Passion  Week 

middle  eminence  is  the  distinctive  Mount  of  Olives.  These 
divisions  we  must  always  keep  in  mind  as  we  follow  our 
Lord's  footsteps  from  day  to  day  during  this  eventful  week. 
The  central  mountain,  which  we  have  already  marked  as  the 
Mount  of  Olives  proper,  has  three  points  or  projections  ;  the 
northernmost  being  called  Viri  Galilei,  and  is  two  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  above  sea  level,  and 
nearly  three  hundred  feet  above  the  temple.  The  middle  one 
now  contains  a  Mohammedan  village  of  a  dozen  homes 
called  Et  Tor.  The  third  or  southern  projection  is  "inclosed 
and  in  possession  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  who  have  here 
two  churches  and  a  convent."  Of  the  Mount  of  Olives 
proper  "  the  slopes  are  cultivated,  but  the  vegetation  is  not 


BETHANY 


JERUSALEM. 


luxuriant.  The  principal  trees  are  the  olive,  fig,  and  carob, 
and  here  and  there  a  few  apricot,  almond,  terebinth,  and 
hawthorn  trees.  The  paths  are  stony  and  the  afternoon  sun 
very  hot."  ^ 

Our  road  from  Bethany  runs  "  between  the  Mount  of  Offense 
and  the  Mount  of  Olives  (proper),  but  there  is  another  more 
direct  running  over  the  central  summit."  Our  Lord  probably 
chose  the  regular  road.  He  sent  his  disciples  ahead  to 
Bethphage,  a  village  or  neighborliood  somewhere  on  the  road 
between  Bethany  and  Mount  of  Olives,  but  whose  site  is  now 
unknown,  to  secure  the  beast  on  which  he  is  to  make  his  ad- 
vent into  the  city.  Then,  with  a  great  company  following, 
the  Lord  moves  on   to    Jerusalem.     "  Two   vast  streams  of 


'  Caedckcr,  Palestine  and  Syria. 

7 


92, 


In  His  Footsteps 

people  met  on  that  day.  The  one  poured  out  from  the  city, 
and,  as  they  came  through  the  garden  whose  ckisters  xjf  pahii 
rose  on  the  soutlieastern  corner  of  Olivet,  they  cut  down  the 
long  branches,  as  was  their  wont  at  the  feast  of  tabernacles, 
and  moved  upward  toward  Bethany  with  loud  shouts  of  wel- 
come. From  Bethany  streamed  f(jrth  the  crowds  who  had 
assembled  there  the  previous  night.  The  two  streams  met 
midway.  Half  of  tlie  vast  mass,  turning  round,  preceded,  the 
other  half  followed.  Gradually  the  long  procession  swept  up 
over  the  ridge  where  first  begins  '  the  descent  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives  '  toward  Jerusalem."  ' 

After  crossing  the  valleyof  the  Kid!on,now  called  Wady  Sitli 
Maryam  (Valley  of  St.  Mary),  the  Lord  went  to  the  temple, 
looked  about  him  for  a  time,  and  then  returned  to  Bethany  for 
the  night. 

Monday,  April  3. 

FROM    BETHANY   TO   JICKUSALEM — RKTURN   TO    RETHANY. 

The  fig  tree  cnndemned,  ....    Malt,  xxl,  i8,  ig  ;  Mark  xi,  12-14. 

The  temple  purified,  .       Matt,  xxi,  i^,  15  ;  Mark  xi,  ip-17  ;   Luke  xix,  45,46. 

151ind  and  lame  healed,     .....        Matt,  xxi,  14  ;  Luke  xix,  47,  48. 
I'riests  and  llie  scribes  ctirayed,       .         .         .  Matt,  xxi,  15,  16  ;   !\Lirk  xi,  18. 

Return  to  liethany  in  the  evenijr.;,  .         .         .         Matt,  xxi,  17;  Mark  xi,  ig. 

There  are  many  questions  of  chronology  and  harmony 
which  we  cannot  pause  to  discuss.  Jesus  passing  out  of 
Bethany  early  on  Monday  morning,  hungry,  after  perhaps  a 
night  of  earnest  prayer,  sees  a  fig  tree  with  its  leaves  so  for- 
ward as  to  indicate  ripened  fruit.  With  his  disci])les  he 
turns  toward  it,  but  finds  nothing  but  leaves.  That  fig  tree, 
with  its  fair  show  of  fruit,  represented  the  Jewish  nation ; 
Jesus  therefore  condemned  it.  In  other  words,  he  pro- 
nounced it  what  in  reality  it  was,  a  hypocritical  cumberer  of 
the  ground.  "That  our  Lord  should  have  cursed  the  fig  tree 
on  which  there  were  leaves  but  no  fruit  is  explained  when 
we  remember  that  the  fruit  appears  before  the  leaves,  and 
that  in  a  tree  so  out  of  the  common  in  its  development  those 
round  him  would  expect  that  fruit  would  be  also  present, 
though  it  was  not  yet  the  season  for  it."'^ 

Proceeding  to  the  temple  the  Lord  dcjcs  not  merely  look 
about  him,  as  on  the  ])revious  day,  but  as  in  the  beginning  of 
his  ministry,  so  now  at  its  dose,  cleanses  his  Father's  house 


'  Stanley,  Sinai  and  Pah-stine.  ^  Geikie,  Nciv  Testament  Hours. 

94 


Passion  Week 

of   its   pollutions.     Of  course  they   would   return   again,  but 
Jesus  will  do  his  duty  nevertheless. 

At   the   close   of  the   day   we  return  again   with   Jesus  to 
Bethany. 

Tuesday^  April  4. 

FROM    BETHANY    TO    JKRUSALEM RETURN    TO   BETHANY. 

Oi  the  way:   Finds  fig  tree   wilhered,  lesson  on 

faith, Matt,  xxi,  20-22  ;  Mark  xi,  20-25. 

Ill  the  temple  :  Christ's  authority 

challenged Matt,  xxi,  23-27  ;  Mark  xi,  27-33  !  Luke  xx,  1-8. 

He  answers  in  parahles,     .     Mau.  xxi,  28-xxii,  14  ;  Mark  xii,  i,  2  ;  Luke  xx.  9-19. 


Going  out  of  the  te^npl?  :    Conversation  regarding 

destruction  of  temple,      .       .     Matt,  xxiv,  i,  2;  Mark  xiii,  i,  2;  Luke  xxi,  5,  6. 

O.i  M  lint  of  Olivrjs  :  Conversatioi  regardiiii;  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  end  of  the  world;  parables  of  the  fig  tree,  the  virgins,  and 
thetalents,       .       Matt,  xxiv,  3-51  ;  xxv  ;  xxvi,    i,  2  ;  Mark  xiii  ;  Luke  xxi,  j-38. 

Return  to  Bethany, Mark  xi,  19;  Luke  xxi,  37. 

JciJas  counsels  with  Ciirist's 

Matt,  xxvi,   3-5  ;  14-16;  ^L^rk  xiv,  i,  2  ;  10,  11  ;  Luke  xxii,  1-6. 


iiemies. 


Passing  over  the  road  from  Bethany  to  Jerusalem,  it  is  ob- 
served tliat  the  fig  tree  has  withered  away.  From  that  the 
Lord  draws  a  valuable  lesson  on  faith. 

Arriving  at  the  temple,  the  Pharisees  seek  to  entrap  him. 
He  ans\ver.s  them  in  language  never  to  be  forgotten.  Two 
incidents  relieve  the  trials  of  the  day  and  bring  joy  to  the 
Saviour's  heart  :  the  poor  widow's  gift,  and  the  visit  of  the 
Greeks.  As  they  pass  out  of  the  temple  the  disciples  call  the 
Lord's  attention  to  it,  but  he  prophesies  its  destruction. 

We  ])ass  out  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  there  hear  the 
echo  of  the  Lord's  warning  regarding  the  impending  doom  of 
the  city  and  the  end  of  the  world.  How  real  it  all  seems  as 
we  look  westward  upon  the  Jerusalem  of  to-day,  a  mere  shadow 
of  the  former  city  !  There  were  uttered  those  wonderful 
parables  of  the  figless  fig  tree,  the  wise  and  foolish  virgins, 
and  the  men  with  the  talents. 

Then,  probably  late  in  the  evening,  the  company  returns  to 
Bethany,  while  Judas  plots  to  betray  the  Lord  into  the  hands 
of  his  enemies. 

Wednesday,  April  5. 

A  day,  of  retirement,  probably  spent  in  Bethany. 

95 


Passion  Week 


Thursday,  April  6, 

FROM    BETHANY    TO    JERUSALEM — "  UPPER  ROOM  " — 
GETHSEMANE. 

Peter  and  John  sent  ahead  to  prepare  the 

passover,  .  .  .  Matt,  xxvi,  17-ig  ;  Mark  xiv,  12-16  ;  Luke  xxii,  7-13. 
Jesus  follows  in  the  evening  with  the  other 

disciples;  joins  the  twelve  at  supper.  Matt,  xxvi,  20;  Mark  xiv,  17;  Luke  xxii,  14. 
In  the  "  upper  room  :  "  Strife  for  first  place,  .         .         .  Luke  xxii,  24-30. 

Jesus  washes  his  disciples'  feet John  xiii,  1-20. 

Announcement  of  betrayal — Judas 

goes  out,  .  .  .  Matt.  xxvi.  21-25  ;  Mark  xiv,  18-21  ;  John  xiii,  21-30. 
The  supper,      .         .  Matt,  xxvi,  26-29  !  Mark  xiv,  22-25  ;  Luke   xxii,  14-20. 

Peter    protests    his    faithfulness — the    Lord 

warns  him Luke  xxii,  31-38  ;  John  xiii,  36-38. 

The  last  teaching, John  xiv,  xv,  xvi. 

Jesus  prays, John  xvii. 

From  the  "  upper  room"  to  Gethsemane  :  On 

the  way, Matt,  xxvi,  30;  John  xviii,  i. 

The  agony  in  the  garden,  .        ,         .  Matt,  xxvi,  36-46  ;  Mark  xiv,  32-42. 

The  arrest.  Matt,  xxvi,  47-56  ;  Mark  xiv,  43-52  ;  Luke  xxii,  47-53  ;  John  xviii,  2-12. 

After  a  day  of  rest  the  Lord  enters  upon  his  final  struggle 
with  his  enemies.  Peter  and  John  are  sent  some  time  during 
the  day  to  prepare  the  passover  for  themselves  and  the  others 
who  follow  toward  evening.  The  traditional  site  of  the 
"  upper  room,"  where  Jesus  and  his  disciples  ate  the  passover, 
is  known  as  the  Coenaculum,  situated  on  Mount  Zion,  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  present  city,  just  outside  the  walls. 
It  is  a  room  in  a  Mohammedan  mosque  known  as  Neby  Daud 
(Prophet  David).  It  is  a  large  and  dreary  room  of  stone, 
some  thirty  feet  wide  by  sixty  feet  long,  and  is  divided  in  the 
center  by  columns.  The  building  in  which  the  Coenaculum 
is  located  "  was  formerly  a  Christian  church,  and  is  of  very 
high  antiquity  (mentioned  as  early  as  the  fourth  century),  and 
was  early  held  to  be  the  place  where  the  apostles  were  as- 
sembled at  Pentecost  when  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon 
them.  As  it  is  probable  that  they  were  assembled  in  the 
same  place  where  the  Lord's  Supper  was  instituted  the  tradi- 
tion, at  least  as  regards  the  site,  seems  quite  credible."  '  We 
can  reach  this  traditional  site  by  leaving  the  Bethany  road 
after  crossing  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  just  before  entering 
the  city,  and  turning  westward  through  the  valley  oftheKidron, 
skirting  the  southern  wall.  The  Neby  Daud,  in  which  the 
Coenaculum  is  situated,  lies  just  south  of  the  American 
cemetery. 

The  kind  of  table  at  which  Jesus  and  the  twelve  sat  we  do 

'Andrews    The  Life  0/ Our  Lord. 

97 


In  His  Footsteps 

not  know,  nor  do  we  know  the  order  at  the  table.  John,  we 
are  told,  sat  nearest  the  Lord,  and  evidently  Judas  was  not 
the  farthest  away.  Edersheim  believes  that  the  traitor 
"  claimed  and  obtained  the  chief  seat  at  the  table  next  the 
Lord." 

They  had  just  been  seated  when  strife  breaks  out  among 
the  disciples  as  to  which  should  have  the  chief  place  in  the 
Lord's  kingdom.  They  were  still  clinging  to  the  belief 
that  Christ  would  establish  a  worldly  rule,  and  that  he 
would  choose  certain  favorites  for  high  positions.  Jesus  had 
often  explained  the  nature  of  his  kingdom,  but  now  he  will 
illustrate  it.  It  was  customary  for  a  servant  with  water  and 
towels  to  pass  among  the  guests  cleansing  the  hands  and  ft-et 
of  each  from  the  dust  of  travel;  While  the  disciples  are 
quarreling  over  who  shall  have  the  highest  place  and  be 
given  lionorable  titles,  and  have  servants  to  run  upon  their 
errands,  their  Lord  is  passing  from  one  to  the  other  washing 
the  feet  of  each.     Even  Judas  is  not  passed  by. 

They  are  now  ready  for  the  supper  which  Peter  and  John 
had  provided.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  great  feast  of  the 
])assover,  which  had  been  instituted  to  commemorate  "  the 
deliverance  of  the  Jews  in  Egypt  from  the  destroying  angel 
when  all  the  firstborn  of  the  Egyptians  were  slain  "  (Exod.  xii, 
14).  This  rema,rkable  deliverance  was  ever  after  to  be  com- 
memorated by  a  feast  of  seven  days,  the  feast  of  unleavened 
bread.  But  distinct  from  t/iis  feast  and  introductory  to  it  was 
the  paschal  supper,  or  'the  Lord's  passover.'  The  people 
being  divided  into  households  or  families  of  not  less  than  ten 
nor  more  than  twenty  persons,  a  lamb  was  slain  for  each 
family  and  afterward  eaten  with  unleavened  bread  and  bitter 
herbs.  Now  followed  a  feast  of  seven  days'  continuance  in 
which  the  bread  eaten  was  unleavened."  '  The  supper  at 
whicli  Jesus  r.nd  the  twelve  now  sat  was  this  paschal  supper 
which  introduced  the  seven  days'  feast.  It  was  at  the  very 
beginning  of  the  sui)])er  that  the  Lord  said,  "One  of  you  will 
betray  me."  The  se])aration  of  Judas  from  the  company  is 
tlie  sign  for  the  continuance  of  the  meal.  "Each  ate  and 
drank  at  his  will ;  all  alike,  in  the  patriarchal  way  of  the 
East,  lifting  what  they  wished  with  their  fingers  from  the 
common  dish.  A  third  cup  of  wine  passed  round  marked 
the  close  of  the  feast  as  a  religious  solemnity.     He  was  about 

'  Andrews,  The  Life  0/  Our  Lord. 

98 


Passion  Week 

TO  leave  them,  and  as  yet  tliey  had  no  rite,  however  simple, 
to  form  a  center  round  which  they  might  permanently  gather. 
Some  emblem  was  needed  by  which  they  might  hereafter  be 
distinguished  ;  some  common  bond,  which  should  outwardly 
link  them  to  each  other  and  to  their  common  Master.  The 
passover  had  been  the  symbol  of  the  theocracy  of  the  past, 
and  had  given  the  people  of  God  an  outward  ever-recurring 
remembrance  of  their  relations  to  each  other  and  their  in- 
visible King.  As  the  founder  of  the  new  Israel,  Jesus  would 
now  institute  a  special  rite  for  its  members  in  all  ages  and 
countries.  The  old  covenant  of  God  with  the  Jews  had  found 
its  vivid  embodiment  in  the  yearly  festivity  he  had  that  niglit 
for  the  last  time  observed.  The  new  covenant  must,  hence- 
forth, have  an  outward  embodiment  also;  more  spiritual,  as 
became  it,  but  equally  vivid. 

"Nothing  could  have  been  more  touching  and  beautiful  in 
its  simi)licity  than  the  symbol  now  introduced.  The  third 
cup  was  known  as  'the  cup  of  blessing,'  and  had  marked  the 
close  of  the  meal,  held  to  do  honor  to  the  economy  now  passing 
away.  The  breatl  had  been  handed  round  with  the  words, 
'This  is  the  bread  of  affliction  ;  '  and  the  flesh  of  the  lamb 
had  been  distributed  with  the  words,  'This  is  the  body  of  the 
passover.'  The  feast  of  the  ancient  people  of  God  having 
been  honored  by  these  striking  utterances,  Jesus  took  one 
of  the  loaves  or  cakes  before  him,  gave  thanks,  broke  it,  and 
handed  it  to  the  apostles  with  words,  the  repetition  almost 
exactly  of  those  they  had  heard  a  moment  before,  'Take,  eat'; 
this  is  my  body,  which  is  given  for  you  :  this  do  in  remem- 
brance of  me.'  Then  taking  the  cup,  which  had  been  filled 
for  the  fourth  and  last  handing  round,  he  gave  thanks  to  God 
once  more,  and  passed  it  to  the  circle,  with  the  words, 
'  Drink  ye  all  of  it,  for  this  cup  is  the  new  covenant,'  presently 
to  be  made  'in  my  blood  ;'  instead  of  the  covenant  made 
also  in  blood  by  God  with  your  fathers;  'it  is'  an  abiding 
symbol,  'my  blood  of  the  covenant  of  my  Father  with  the 
new  Israel,  which  is  shed  for  you  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
This  do,  as  often  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me.'  "  ' 

Some  time  during  the  meal,  or  just  at  its  close,  Peter  pro- 
tests his  faithfulness,  followed  by  the  Lord's  warning.  Then 
the  Lord  spoke  those  comforting  words  recorded  by  John 
(chapters   xiv,    xv,  xvi),  in  which  he  compares  himself  to  a 

'  Gelkie,  Life  of  Christ. 

99 


In  His  Footsteps 

vine,  exhorts  his  disciples  not  to  be  discouraged,  and  promises 
the  Holy  Spirit.     The  prayer  of  the  Lord  follows. 

It  is  between  ten  and  twelve  o'clock,  and  Jesus  with  the 
eleven  turns  from  the  "upper  room  "  toward  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  Jf  the  room  was  where  tradition  places  it  the  com- 
pany would  probably  pass  through  the  southern  edge  of  the 
city — we  now  skirt  the  southern  wall  on  the  outside — to  a 
garden  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  called  the  garden  of  Geth- 


THE    GARDEN     OF    GETIISEMANE. 


semane.  We  descend  into  the  valley  of  the  Kidron,  cross  a 
bridge,  and  are  on  the  traditional  site  of  the  place  where  the 
Lord  experienced  that  awful  agony  and  bloody  sweat.  The 
word  Oethsemane  signifies  oil  press.  We  enter  the  garden 
through  a  wall  erected  in  1847.  A  rock  nrar  the  gate  "marks 
the  spot  where  Peter,  James,  and  John  slept."  A  fragment 
of  a  column  "indicates  the  traditional  place  where  Judas  be- 


Passion  Week 

trayed  Jesus  with  a  kiss."  The  present  garden  "contains 
eight  venerable  olive  trees,  with  trunks  burst  from  age  and 
shored  up  with' stones,  which  are  said  to  date  from  the  time 
of  Christ."  ' 

The  officers,  led  by  the  traitor  Judas,  at  last  arrive.  The 
Lord  is  revealed  by  a  kiss.  Peter  nobly  but  with  mistaken 
zeal  defends  his  Master.     Jesus  is  then  put  under  arrest. 

Friday,  April  7. 

FROM  GETHSEMANE  TO  THE  HOUSE  OF  ANNAS,  THENCE  TO 
PALACE  OF  CAIAPHAS,  PALACE  OF  HEROD,  GOLGOTHA,  AND 
THE  SEPULCHER. 

Short  stay  at  house  of  Annas,      . John  xviii,  13,  14 

Peter  and  John  follow  to  palace  of  Caiaphas, 

Matt,  x.wi,  57,  58  ;  Mark  xiv,  53,  54  ;  Luke  xxii,  54,  55  ;  John  xviii,  15 
Trial  of  Jesus  before  Jewish  authorities. 

Matt,  xxvi,  59-68  ;  Mark  xiv,  55-65  ;  Luke  xxii,  63-71  ;  John  xviii,  19-24 
Peter's  denial, 

Matr.  xxvi,  69-75;  Mark  xiv,  66-72  ;  Luke  xxii,  56-62;  John  xviii,  16-18,  25-27, 
From  palace  of  Caiaphas  to  Pilate's  judgment  seat  :  Trial  before  Pilate, 

Mait.xxvii.z,  ii-3ia;  Mark  xv,  i-2oa;  Lukexxiii,  1-25;  John  xviii,  28;  xlx,  i6a 
From  Pilate's  judgment  seat  to  (iolgotha  :  On  the  way. 

Matt,  xxvii,  31b,  32  ;  ^Llrk  xv,  20b,  21  ;  Luke  xxiii,  26-32  ;  John  xix,  16b,  17 
The  crucifixion  :    Superscription 

on  the  cross.  Matt,  xxvii,  37  ;  Mark  xv,  26 ;  Luke  xxiii,  38  ;  John  xix,  19-22 

First  word  from  the  cross, Luke  xxiii,  33,  34 

Soldiers  cast 

lots,      .     Matt,  xxvii,  35.  36;  Mark  xv,  24;  Luke  xxiii,  34  ;  John  xix,  23,  24. 
Jews  mock  at  Jesus,  Matt,  xxvii,  39-44 ;  Mark  xv,  29-32  ;  Luke  xxiii,  35-37 

Second  word  from  the  cross,  Luke  xxiii.  39-43 

Third  word  from  the  cross, John  xix,  25-27 

Darkness,  ....      Matt,  xxvii,  45  ;  Mark  xv,  33  ,  Luke  xxiii,  44,  45 

Fourth  word  from  the  cross,  .         .  Matt,  xxvii,  46,  47  ;  Luke  xv,  34,  35 

Fifth  word  from  the  cross.         Matt,  xxvii,  48.  49  ;  Mark  xv,  36  ;  John  xix,  28,  29, 

Sixth  word  from  the  cross, John  xix,  30 

Seventh  word, Luke  xxiii,  46, 

Jesus  dies — earth- 
quake. Matt,  xxvii,  50-56  ;  Mark  xv,  37-41  ;  Luke  xxiii,  45-49  ;  John  xix,  30, 

Jesus  pierced  with  a  spear, John  xix,  31-37 

From  Golgotha  to  Joseph's  tomb  :  The  burial  of  Jesus, 

Matt,   xxvii,  57  -61  ;   Mark   xv,   42-47  ;  Luke  xxiii,   50-56  ;  John  xix,  38-42 
The  watch  at  the  sepulcher, Matt,  xxvii,  62-66 

Some  think  the  earliest  events  noted  for  this  day,  such  ad 
the  trial  of  Jesus,  etc.,  took  place  before  midnight  on  Thurs- 
day. We  cannot  say.  But  it  seems  improbable  that  so  much 
could  be  crowded  into  Thursday.  The  point  of  time,  how- 
ever, has  little  bearing  on  the  events  themselves. 

Though  Annas  was  not  now  high  priest,  having  been  de- 
posed from  office,  he  was  the  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas,  the 
actual  high  priest,  and  was  regarded,  both  on  account  of  his 
relationship  to  Caiaphas  and  his  long  experience,  with  great 

•  Baedekef,  Palestine  and  Syria. 


In  His  Footsteps 

respect  by  the  Jewish  people.  We  do  not  know  where  liis 
house  was,  but  probably  it  was  not  far  from  the  palace  of 
Caiaphas  ;  indeed,  the  apartments  of  Annas'  and  Caiaphas 
may  have  joined.  Jesus  is  taken  directly  from  (iethsemane 
to  Annas,  thence  to  Caiaphas,  who  examines  him  briefly. 
The  traditional  site  of  the  palace  or  house  of  Caiaphas  is 
just  north  of  the  Coenaculum,  where  Jesus  ate  the  last  su|)per 
with  his  disciples.  The  Sanhedrin,  or  Jewish  council,  was  at 
once  convened,  and  Jesus  is  put  on  trial,  condemned,  and 
afterward  reviled  by  the  members  of  that  body.  During  the 
trial  Peter  denies  his  Lord.  At  daybreak  the  Sanhedrin  is 
again  convened  "  to  determine  how  to  bring  Jesus  before 
Pilate  ;  and  at  this  time  his  confession  is  repeated,  but  witli- 
out  a  formal  trial." 

The  Lord  is  then  taken  to  Pilate  for  sentence  of  death. 
As  a  rule  the  Roman  courts  did  not  open  before  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  It  is  not  known  whether  Pilate's  court  was 
held  in  the  fortress  of  Antonia,  near  the  temple,  or  in  the 
palace  of  Herod  the  Great.  "  We  consider  it  most 
probable,"  says  Andrews,  "that  all  the  judicial  proceedings 
before  Pilate  were  at  the  palace  of  Herod  upon  Mount  Zion." 
It  was  situated  on  "the  north  side  of  Mount  Zion,  and  was  a 
magnificent  building  of  marble,  with  which,  according  to 
Joseph  us,  the  temple  itself  bore  no  comparison.  It  is  to  be 
distinguished  from  the  palace  of  Solomon,  which  was  lower 
down  on  the  side  of  the  mount."  After  much  discussion  and 
many  efforts  to  release  Jesus,  Pilate  condemns  him  to  death. 

We  can  almost  hear  the  echo  of  the  terrible  words,  "Cru- 
cify !  Crucify  !  "  as  we  follow  our  Lord  when  he  turns  from 
Pilate's  judgment  seat  toward  Golgotha.  He  went  forth 
bearing  his  cross,  a  burden  of  perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  in  weight.  The  scenes  through  which  he  has  just 
passed  must  have  greatly  weakened  him,  for,  while  there  is 
no  record  that  he  fell,  he  must  have  showed  signs  of  extreme 
prostration.  The  burden  of  the  cross  is  ]nit  upon  the  shoul- 
ders of  one  Simon,  a  resident  of  Cyrene,  in  North  Africa.  The 
Lord,  surrounded  by  a  motley  crowd,  with  no  friends  but  the 
few  faithful  souls  who  follow  in  the  distance,  passes  down 
the  sorrowful  way  to  the  place  of  crucifixion.  We  try  to  find 
his  footsteps  after  all  the  centuries  have  swept  their  debris 
upon  them,  but  it  is  an  impossible  task,  some  of  the  present 
streets  being  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  above  those  of  the  ancient 


Passion  Week 

city.  The  site  of  Golgotha  is  not  known,  but  it  was  outside 
the  walls,  probably  toward  the  northwest.'  "From  the  pal- 
ace of  Herod  the  sad  procession  must  have  passed  out  un- 
der the  great  castles  of  Hippicus,  Phasael,  and  Mariamne, 
through  the  Hebron  or  Jaffa  gate  or  the  gate  Gennath.  As 
it  moved  slowly  on  an  official  proclaimed  aloud  the  names 
of  the  prisoners  and  tlie  offenses  for  which  they  were  about 
to  die.'" 

The  cross  had  long  been  used  by  Egyptians,  Greeks,  and 
Romans,  but  never  by  the  Jews.  Now,  however,  so  eager  are 
they  for  Jesus's  death  that  any  means  of  accomplishing  their 
purpose  is  accepted.  The  company  arrived  at  Golgotha 
about  9  A.M.  Jesus,  with  two  malefactors,  is  at  once  fastened 
to  the  cross,  his  robe  meanwhile  having  been  taken  from  him. 
By  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  veil  of  the  temple  is 
rent.  The  earthquake  and  the  darkness  niark  the  Lord's 
last  conscious  moments. 

Before  six  o'clock  the  body  has  been  reverently  carried  by 
loving  hands  to  the  sepulcher,  which  was  near  the  place  of 
execution. 

Saturday,  April  8. 
Jesus  in  the  tomb. 


'  A  site  on  the  north  has  been  selected  by  Conder  and  7ih  ^i  >  as  the  scene  of  the  cruci- 
fixion, but  it  has  nothing  but  conjecture  in  its  favor. 
^  Geikie,  Li/e  of  Christ. 

103 


I04 


The  Forty  Days— Resurrection  to  Ascension 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Forty  Days,  from  the  Resurrection  to  the  Ascension, 
A.  D.   30. 

Intinerary  on  Map. — Jerusalem — Emmaus — Jerusalem — Sea   of 
Galilee — Mountain  in  Galilee — Mount  of  Olives. 

IN    JERUSALEM. 

Sunday,  April  9,  Forenoon? 

The  morning  of  the  resurrection — an  earthquake,  .  .  .  Matt,  xxviii,  2-4. 
The  women  come  to 

the  tomb,     .       .     Matt,  xxviii,  i  ;  Mark  xvi,  1-4  ,  Luke  xxiv,  1,2;  John  xx,  i 

Mary  Magdalene  calls  Peter  and  John, John  xx,  2 

The  women  at  the  tomb,  ^latt.  xxviii,  5-8  ;  Mark  xvi,  5-8  ;  Luke  xxiv,  3-8 
Peter  and  John  at  the  tomb,  .  .  .  Luke  xxiv,  12  ;  John  xx,  3-10, 
The  Lord  appears  to  Mary  Magdalene,  .  .  Mark  xvi,  g-n  ;  John  xx,  11-18 
He  appears  to  ihe  women,  .  .  .  Matt,  xxviii,  9,  10;  Luke  xxiv,  9-1 1 
The  guard  report  to  the  priests, Matt,  xxviii,  11-15 

TO  those  faithful  ones  who  had  with  much  misgiving  and 
many  doubts,  yet  with  constantly  increasing  love,  fol- 
lowed Jesus  day  by  day  during  his  ministry  and  through 
the  sorrowful  week  of  his  passion,  and  at  last  to  the  cross, 
his  death  must  have  seemed  like  an  insurmountable  wall  or 
fathomless  chasm  across  the  path  of  the  traveler.  They  knew 
not  where  to  turn.  Their  leader  was  dead,  and  there  seemed 
nothing  in  life  for  them.  Had  this  been  the  end  we  should 
not  be  in  Palestine  to-day  trying  to  mark  the  footsteps  of 
Jesus.  We  have,  it  is  true,  gone  to  his  grave  with  heavy 
hearts  on  account  of  his  great  sufferings,  yet  with  a  secret 
joy,  for  we  know  what  the  early  followers  of  his  footsteps  did 
not  know,  that  the  grave  cannot  hold  the  Lord.  He  must 
rise  again  to  live  forever  our  glorified  Redeemer. 

It  is  Sunday  morning — Easter  Sunday.  There  has  been 
an  earthquake.  An  angel  has  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the 
door  of  the  tomb.  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other  women 
from   Galilee  come  with   sweet   spices   to  anoint  the  Lord's 

*  The  following  harmony  is  from  Andrews,  The  Life  0/  Our  Lord, 


In  His  Footsteps 

body.  They  seethe  stone  rolled  away,  and  Mary  Magdalene, 
believing  that  the  enemies  of  Christ  had  stolen  his  body, 
hurries  away  to  tell  Peter  and  John.  The  other  women  pass 
on  to  the  sepulcher  and  meet  an  angel,  who  tells  them  that 
the  Lord  has  risen  and  will  meet  the  disciples  in  Galilee. 
Peter  and  John  then  come  running,  followed  by  Mary  Mag- 


(/        !:>' 


ROCK    TOMB   WITH    ROLLING   STONE    DOOR. 


dalene.  The  two  men  enter  the  sepulcher,  finding  nothing 
within  but  the  graveclothes.  They  leave  the  tomb,  but  Mary 
remains  weeping.  Looking  into  the  sepulcher  she  sees  two 
angels,  and  shortly  afterward  Jesus  himself  appears  and  speaks 
to  her,  giving  her  a  message  for  the  disciples.     After  that  the 

io6 


The  Forty  Days— Resurrection  to  Ascension 


Lord  appears  to  the  two  women  who  had  been  to  the  city, 
and  who  were  accompanied  by  others,  and  permits  them  to 
worship  him. 

The  question  of  the  location  of  the  sepulcher  is  involved  in 
that  regarding  the  site  of  the  crucifixion.  Tradition  [joints 
to  the  spot  already 
named,  just  outside  the 
walls  (the  ancient,  not 
the  present  walls)  on 
the  northwest.  Bishop 
Eusebius,  born  about 
the  middle  of  the  third 
century  after  Christ, 
says  that  during  the  ex- 
cavations made  in  the 
reign  of  Constantine 
the  tomb  of  Christ  was 
discovered.  There  is 
an  old  and  fanciful 
tale  to  the  effect  that 
Helena,  Constantine's 
mother,  by  the  aid  of 
a  miracle,  found  not 
only  the  Lord's  sep- 
ulcher, but  also  his 
cross.  Here  a  church 
was  built  and  conse- 
crated in  the  year  336. 
The  present  edifice, 
known  as  the  "Church 
of  the  Sepulcher,"  was 
built  by  Greek  and 
Armenian  Christians  in 
1810.  Childish  credu- 
lity or  deliberate  fraud, 

probably  a  mixture  of  both,  has  located  everything  con- 
nected with  the  crucifixion  and  entombment.  Even  the 
"Hole  of  the  Cross"  is  identified.  During  the  Easter  festi- 
val the  church  is  "crowded  with  pilgrims  of  every  nation- 
ality," and  there  is  usually  a  disgraceful  riot  between  the 
different  sects,  which  recjuires  all  the  force  of  the  Moham- 
medan police  to  quell.     A  most  disgraceful  spectacle  is  the 

107 


THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  HOLY  SEPUL- 
CHER, JERUSALEM 


In  His  Footsteps 

so-called  miracle  of  the  Holy  P'ire,  inannged  by  the  Greeks. 
Of  course,  it  is  an  out-and-out  fraud.  "On  Easter  Eve,  about 
2  p.  M.,  a  procession  of  the  superior  clergy  moves  round  the 
sepulcher,  all  lamps  having  been  carefully  extinguished  in 
view  of  the  crowd.  Some  members  of  the  higher  order  of 
the  priesthood  enter  the  chapel  of  the  sepulcher,  while  the 
priests  pray  and  the  people  are  in  the   utmost  suspense.     At 


PILGRIM  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  HOLY  SEPULCHER. 


length  the  fire,  which  has  come  down  from  heaven  (as  the 
priests  say),  is  pushed  through  a  window  of  the  sepulcher, 
and  there  now  follows  an  indescribable  tumult,  everyone  en- 
deavoring to  be  the  first  to  get  his  taper  lighted.  In  a  few 
moments  the  whole  church  is  illuminated."'  In  1834,  when 
more  than  six  thousand  persons  were  in  the  church,  there 
was  a  riot  at  this  ceremony,  and  about  three  hundred  were 
killed. 


'  Baedeker :   Palestine  and  Syria. 


108 


The  Forty  Days— Resurrection  to  Ascension 

FROM   JERUSALEM    TO   EMMAUS RETURN    TO   JERUSALEM. 

Sunday,  April  g,  Afternoon. 

Jesus  appears  to  two  disciples  on 

the  way  to  Emmaus.         .  .  .  Mark    xvi,    12,    13  ;  Luke  xxiv,  13-32. 

Appears  to  all  the  apostles  in 

Jerusalem,  except  Thomas,     Mark  xvi,  14  :  Luke  xxiv,  32-4S ;  John  xx,  ig-23. 

Sunday,  April  i6. 

Appears  to  all  the  apostles, John  xx,  26-29. 

Some  time  during  the  latter  part  of  Easter  Sunday  the  Lord 
joins  two  of  his  disciples  as  they  journey  to  a  village  called 
Emmaus,  distant  from  Jerusalem  sixty  furlongs  (seven  and 
one  half  miles).  There  are  at  least  four  places  which  are 
named  by  modern  scholars  as  the  Emmaus  of  Christ's  time. 
The  best  evidence  seems  to  lie  with  a  village  now  known  as 
El  Kubebeh,  northwest  of  Jerusalem.  We  find  there  a  Fran- 
ciscan monastery,  built  in  1S62,  which  "  is  said  to  stand  on  the 
spot  where  Jesus  brake  bread  with  the  two  disciples." 

The  two  disciples  return  at  once  to  the  city  and  join  the 
rest  of  the  eleven.  "  The  place  where  the  apostles  were 
assembled  was,  in  all  probability,  the  same  in  which  they  had 
eaten  the  paschal  supper,  and  to  which  they  returned  from 
the  Mount  of  Olives  after  the  Ascension."  ^ 

A  week  later,  probably  in  the  same  place,  Thomas  being 
present,  the  Lord  again  appears.  He  shows  the  print  of  the 
nails  and  of  the  spear. 

FROM    JERUSALEM    TO    THE    SEA    OF    GALILEE. 

Reappears  to  the  seven  disciples  in  Galilee,       ....         John  xxi,  1-3. 

Miracle  of  the  fishes,         .         . John  xxi,  4-11. 

At  a  meal  Jesus  counsels  Peter,        .         .  ....         John  xxi,  12-23. 

A  part  of  the  disciples  have  returned  to  the  old  haunts  be- 
side the  Sea  of  Galilee — back  to  their  nets,  as  though  there 
were  no  world  to  be  evangelized.  There  Jesus  comes,  works 
a  miracle,  and  joins  them  at  a  simple  meal.  His  counsel  to 
Peter  is  very  tender,  but  very  searching.  "  Feed  my  sheep  ; 
feed  my  lambs,"  we  hear  him  say.  Those  last  words,  "  Follow 
thou  me,"  suggest  a  life-long  pilgrimage,  not  merely  marking 
his  earthly  footsteps,  but  imitating  his  life. 

'  Andrews. 

8  109 


In  His  Footsteps 


FROM   THE  SEA   OF   (SALILEE  TO  A  MOUNTAIN  IN  GALILEE. 

Appears  to  the  disciples ;  the  "  Great 

Commission," Matt,  xxviii,  16-20;  Mark  xvi    15-18. 

What  mountain  it  was  where  the  Lord  met  his  disciples  for 
the  last  time  in  Galilee  we  do  not  know.  There  he  gave  his 
great  commission  to  go  into  all  the  world,  making  disciples  of 
all  nations. 


FROM  A  MOUNTAIN   IN  GALILEE  TO   THE  MOUNT  OF  OLIVES. 
Last  words  and  ascension,         .         .         .         Mark  xvi,  19,  20  ;  Luke  xxiv,  44-53. 

We  return  for  the  last  time  toward  Jerusalem  with  our  Lord. 
In  full  view  of   the  city  which   so  cruelly  rejected  him  the 


Lord  will  ascend  to  the  right  hand  of  the 
Fatlier.  It  has  not  been  an  easy  task  to 
mark  the  footsteps  of  the  Lord  during  his 
earthly  life;  but,  if  not  easy,  it  has  repaid  us  a  thousandfold 
for  every  effort.  AVords,  acts,  even  the  silences  of  Christ,  have 
taken  on  a  new  meaning  as  we  have  souglit  to  realize  the  time 
and  place  of  their  occurrence.  Above  all  have  we  been  im- 
pressed with  the  truth  of  the  saying  of  the  apostle  who  re- 
ferred to  the  Lord  as  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  went  about 
doing  good."  How  faithfully  he  "  went  about  "  only  they  can 
realize  who  try  to  walk  where  he  walked. 

The  Lord  has  led  out  his  disciples  to  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
There  is  a  spot  marked  as  the  scene  of  the  ascension,  but 

1 10 


The  Forty  Days— Resurrection  to  Ascension 

there  is  nothing  to  show  in  its  favor.  St.  Luke  tells  us  that 
"  he  led  them  out  until  they  were  over  against  Bethany  " 
(Revised  Version).  That  would  seem  to  show  that  they 
went  eastward  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  until  they  could  see 
Bethany  in  the  distance.  There,  after  a  few  words  regarding 
their  great  work,  he  reminds  them  of  the  promise  of  the 
Comforter.  And  then  "  he  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  blessed 
them.  And  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  was 
parted  from  them,  and  carried  up  into  heaven." 

There  we  would  stand  gazing  up  into  heaven,  hoping  to  get 
a  vision  of  our  glorified  Saviour.  A  peculiar  loneliness  steals 
over  us.  We  seem  like  orphans,  for  he  has  gone  where  we  can 
follow  him  no  longer  scs  the  man  of  Nazareth.  But  we  seem 
to  hear  his  voice  saying:  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled.  .  .  . 
In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  .  .  .  I  go  to  prepare 
a  place  for  you.  ...  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto 
myself."  We  may  still  follow  him.  Heaven  is  our  goal.  The 
pilgrimage  may  not  be  easy,  but  he  has  gone  before.  Not  as 
during  his  earthly  life  need  we  be  uncertain  of  his  footsteps, 
for  he  himself  will  be  our  guide  "  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world." ' 

'  The  return  home  may  take  the  same  route  as  that  by  which  we  came.  Some  rnay 
prefer  to  conduct  the  party  overland  through  Europe,  stopping  at  the  most  interesting 
points. 

Ill 


THE   END. 


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